Provisions of the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA) of 1920, as amended by the Federal Coal Leasing Amendments Act of 1976, affect an entity’s qualifications to obtain an oil and gas lease. Section 2(a)(2)(A) of the MLA, 30 U.S.C. 201 (a)(2)(A), requires that any entity that holds and has held a federal coal lease for 10 years beginning on or after August 4, 1976, and who is not producing coal in commercial quantities from each such lease, cannot qualify for the issuance of any other lease granted under the MLA. Compliance by coal lessees with Section 2(a)(2)(A) is explained in 43 CFR 3472.
In accordance with the terms of this oil and gas lease, with respect to compliance by the initial lessee with qualifications concerning federal coal lease holdings, all assignees and transferees are hereby notified that this oil and gas lease is subject to cancellation if: (1) the initial lessee as assignor or as transferor has falsely certified compliance with Section 2(a)(2)(A), or (2) because of a denial or disapproval by a State Office of a pending coal action, i.e., arms-length assignment, relinquishment, or logical mining unit, the initial lessee as assignor or as transferor is no longer in compliance with Section 2(a)(2)(A). The assignee, sublessee or transferee does not qualify as a bona fide purchaser and, thus, has no rights to bona fide purchaser protection in the event of cancellation of this lease due to noncompliance with Section 2(a)(2)(A). Information regarding assignor, sublessor or transferor compliance with Section 2(a)(2)(A) is contained in the lease case file as well as in other BLM records available through the State Office issuing this lease.