[Code of Federal Regulations]

[Title 43, Volume 2]

[Revised as of October 1, 2006]

From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access

[CITE: 43CFR3183.4]



[Page 454]

 

                    TITLE 43--PUBLIC LANDS: INTERIOR

 

    CHAPTER II--BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 

PART 3180_ONSHORE OIL AND GAS UNIT AGREEMENTS: UNPROVEN AREAS

--Table of Contents

 

              Subpart 3183_Filing and Approval of Documents

 

Sec.  3183.4  Approval of executed agreement.



    (a) A unit agreement shall be approved by the authorized officer 

upon a determination that such agreement is necessary or advisable in 

the public interest and is for the purpose of more properly conserving 

natural resources. Such approval shall be incorporated in a 

Certification-Determination document appended to the agreement (see 

Sec.  3186.1 of this part for an example), and the unit agreement shall 

not be deemed effective until the authorized officer has executed the 

Certification-Determination document. No such agreement shall be 

approved unless the parties signatory to the agreement hold sufficient 

interests in the unit area to provide reasonably effective control of 

operations.

    (b) The public interest requirement of an approved unit agreement 

for unproven areas shall be satisfied only if the unit operator 

commences actual drilling operations and thereafter diligently 

prosecutes such operations in accordance with the terms of said 

agreement. If an application is received for voluntary termination of a 

unit agreement for an unproven area during its fixed term or such an 

agreement automatically expires at the end of its fixed term without the 

public interest requirement having been satisfied, the approval of that 

agreement by the authorized officer and lease segregations and 

extensions under Sec.  3107.3-2 of this title shall be invalid, and no 

Federal lease shall be eligible for extensions under Sec.  3107.4 of 

this title.

    (c) Any modification of an approved agreement shall require the 

prior approval of the authorized officer.



[53 FR 17365, May 16, 1988, as amended at 58 FR 58633, Nov. 2, 1993]