Bureau of Land Management June 18, 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Mineral Leasing Act provides a means by which a mining claimant may seek to convert an oil placer mining claim to a noncompetitive oil and gas lease if the claim was deemed conclusively abandoned because of the claimant's failure to timely file certain assessment work filings required by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA). 30 U.S.C. 188(f). Since 1993, Congress has required annual maintenance fees in lieu of the assessment work filings required by FLPMA. On August 31, 1994, MW Petroleum Corporation and its co-claimants failed to pay the annual maintenance fee for oil placer mining claim, WMC-71464. On May 31, 1995, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) notified MW Petroleum and its co-claimants that the oil placer mining claim was null and void by operation of law. On August 24, 1995, in accordance with the requirements outlined in 30 U.S.C. 188(f), MW Petroleum Corporation filed a petition for conversion of the abandoned unpatented oil placer mining claim to a noncompetitive oil and gas lease. The claim to be converted is the Buffalo 19 unpatented oil placer mining claim, which is located in Park County, Wyoming. The description of the land is as follows:

Pursuant to section 2(b) of the Mineral Leasing Act of 1920, as amended, by section 4 of the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, Stat. 1083, 30 U.S.C. 201(b), and to the regulations adopted as 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), part 3410, all interested parties are hereby invited to participate with Bowie Resources, LLC, on a pro rata cost sharing basis in a program for the exploration of unleased coal deposits owned by the United States of America in Delta County, Colorado: