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Mr. LOESCH. Our B section is in preparation. We are planning on having it within 30 days from now. (The Department's response appears in appendix I.)

I am going to have for you the Indian paper very shortly, within the next week, I think.

Senator Moss. Well, that is just fine. As I indicated, when those papers are in, we may want further hearings, at which point we can direct our attention there.

We do appreciate very much your coming here and testifying for us and bringing your assistants here who have been here to respond if the matters came up that affect their particular area.

This will complete the hearing for today, and we stand adjourned. (Whereupon, at 3 p.m., Monday, June 19, 1972, the hearings stood adjourned, subject to the call of the Chair.)

APPENDICES

APPENDIX I

Response by the Department of the Interior to questions in attachment B for public lands.

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D.C., February 27, 1973.

Hon. HENRY M. JACKSON,

Chairman, Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs,
U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Enclosed are the answers to the questions in attachment "B" to your letter of May 17, 1972 relating to leasing and disposal policies for energy resources on the public lands. We are preparing a separate set of responses for Indian lands and will forward them as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,

KEN M. BROWN, Legislative Counsel. (Subsequently, a response was received for Indian lands which appears on p. 651.) ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HENRY M. JACKSON, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ON ENERGY LEASING AND DISPOSAL AND POLICY ISSUES (ATTACHMENT "B")

PART I—A. LEGAL AND MANAGEMENT REGIMES

Describe briefly the legal and management regime governing the development of energy resources on U.S. public lands (including acquired lands and Indian lands). The responses should include, but not necessarily be limited to, answers to questions:

Question 1. What constitutes the principal legal authority under which each resource is developed?

Answer 1. (a) The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of August 7, 1953 (67 Stat. 462; 43 U.S.C. Secs. 1331-1343), constitutes the legal authority under which the mineral resources of the OCS may be developed.

(b) The Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended and supplemented (30 U.S.C. Secs. 181-287) and the Acquired Lands Leasing Act of August 7, 1947 (30 U.S.C. Secs. 351-359) constitute the principal legal authority under which onshore oil and gas, coal and lignite, oil shale and tar sands may be developed.

(c) The Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. Secs. 10011025) constitutes the legal authority under which geothermal resources may be developed.

(d) The Mining Law of 1872 (30 U.S.C. Secs. 21-54) constitutes the legal authority under which uranium on public domain lands may be developed. Uranim on AEC withdrawn lands may be leased by the Atomic Energy Commission under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 as amended (42 U.S.C. 2097). Uranium deposits on certain. acquired lands may generally be leased by the Department with the consent of the surface management agency.

Question 2. What are the principal goals and objectives of the gov ernment with respect to the management of each resource?

(a) To what extent is each goal or objective specifically set out in law, or adopted at the discretion of the Department?

(b) To what extent is each goal or objective compatible with other objectives for the management of individual resources (For example, how are encouragement of current development, conservation of supplies for future use and maximization of government revenues reconciled?)

(c) What is the basis for any difference in goals or objectives with respect to different energy resources?

(d) To what extent do the goals and objectives of the principal legal authorities under which individual energy resources are managed require review and amendment to make them consistent with today's energy requirements?

Answer 2. The Department of the Interior's major goals and objectives with respect to the management of the publicly owned mineral resources are:

(1) To assure orderly and timely resource development; (2) To protect the environment;

(3) To insure the public a fair market value return on the disposition of its resources.

(a) The above goals and objectives are based on the consideration of all the terms and conditions of relevant laws including:

(1) The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of August 7, 1953 (43 U.S.C. §§ 1331-1343);

(2) The Mineral Leasing Act of February 25, 1920, as amended and supplemented (30 U.S.C. §§ 181-287);

(3) The Acquired Lands Leasing Act of August 7, 1947 (30 U.S.C. §§ 351–359);

(4) Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. $$ 1001-1025): (5) The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 (30 U.S.C. S$ 21a):

(6) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347); and

(7). The fair and equitable return requirements of Title 31 U.S.C. 483 (a).

(b) The three major goals and objectives as applied in the Department's mineral programs are not mutually incompatible. The Department strives to achieve an optimum balance among the three: the objective is to encourage orderly and timely exploration, development and production, and at the same time protect the environment and assure the public a fair market value return for the resource.

(c) There are no basic differences in goals or objectives with respect to different energy resources. Our goals apply equally to all of the various energy resources. They are the basis for the declaration of policy in the Administration's proposed revision of the Mineral Leasing Act submitted in 1971. (S. 2726, 92d Congress)

(d) The OCS Lands Act should probably be reviewed periodically to determine whether the Department, under its provisions, can exercise, in the development of mineral resources, proper multiple-use responsibilities as those responsibilities change with the times.

The mining and leasing act require amendment to eliminate limitations on our ability to assure the Department's goals and objectives. Proper provisions are included in the Administration's proposed Mineral Leasing Act revision (S. 2726, the Mined Area Protection Act

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