Authority for leasing mineral deposits within the Shasta and Trinity Units of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area administered by the Forest Service is cited in § 3500.0-3(c)(4) of this title.

Except as otherwise specifically provided in this subpart, leasing of deposits of leasable minerals shall be governed by regulations in parts 3500, 3510, 3520, 3530, 3540 and 3550 of this title.

This subpart governs the leasing of hardrock minerals in the Shasta and Trinity Units of the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area. The terms and conditions of hardrock leases issued under this subpart shall be the same as those set out for hardrock leases in subpart 3561 of this title, except as specifically modified in this subpart.

Any mineral lease for lands subject to this subpart shall be issued only with the consent of the Secretary of Agriculture and subject to such conditions as he/she may prescribe after he/she finds that such disposition would not have significant adverse effects on the purpose of the Central Valley Project or the administration of the recreation area.

No specific form is required. An application shall include the applicant's name and address, a statement of holdings in accordance with subpart 3502 of this title, a description of the lands in accordance with subpart 3501 of this title, and the name of the mineral for which the lease is desired. The applicant shall state whether the mineral applied for can be developed in paying quantities, stating the reasons therefor, and shall furnish such facts as are available to him/her respecting the known occurrence of the mineral, the character of such occurrence and its probable value as evidencing the existence of a workable deposit of such mineral. Each application must be filed in triplicate in the proper BLM office and must be accompanied by the filing fee for Shasta and Trinity hardrock mineral leases found in the fee schedule in § 3000.12 of this chapter.

Leasing units may not exceed 640 acres consisting, if the lands are surveyed, of legal subdivisions in reasonably compact form or, if the lands are not surveyed, of a square or rectangular area with north and south and east and west boundaries so as to approximate legal subdivisions, described by metes and bounds and connected to a corner of the public survey by courses and distances. The authorized officer may prescribe a lesser area for any mineral deposit if such lesser area is adequate for an economic mining operation.

Rentals and royalties shall be determined by the authorized officer on the basis of the fair market value, but in no event shall be less than:

(a) A rental of 50 cents per acre or fraction thereof payable in advance until production is obtained.

(b) A minimum royalty of $1 per acre or fraction thereof payable in advance after production is obtained.

(c) A production royalty of 2 percent of the amount or value of the minerals mined, the exact amount of royalty to be fixed prior to the issuance of the lease.

Each lease shall contain provisions for the following:

(a) Diligent development of the leased property, except when operations are interrupted by strikes, the elements or casualties not attributable to the lessee, unless operations are suspended upon a showing that the lease cannot be operated except at loss because of unfavorable market conditions;

(b) Occupation and use of the surface shall be restricted to that which is reasonably necessary for the exploration, development and extraction of the leased minerals, subject to any special rules to protect the values of the recreation area;

(c) No vegetation shall be destroyed or disturbed except where necessary to mine and remove the minerals;

(d) Operations shall not be conducted in such a manner as to adversely affect the purpose of the Central Valley Project through dumping, drainage or otherwise;

(e) Structures shall not be erected or roads or vehicle trails opened or constructed without first obtaining written permission from an authorized officer or employee of the Forest Service. The permit for a road or trail may be conditioned upon the permittee's maintaining the road or trail in passable condition satisfactory to the officer in charge of the area so long as it is used by the permittee or his/her successor;

(f) Reservation of the right to add additional terms to the lease when deemed necessary by the authorized officer or employee of the Forest Service for the protection of the surface, its resources and use for recreation.

Leases shall be issued for period of 5 years. Any lease in good standing, upon which production in paying quantities has been obtained, shall be subject to renewal for successive 5 year terms on such reasonable terms as may be prescribed by the Secretary. An application for renewal shall be filed in triplicate in the proper BLM office at least 90 days prior to the expiration of the current lease term unless the lands included in the lease have been withdrawn at the expiration of such term.

Leases may be offered competitively for any lands applied for under this subpart without regard to the quantity or quality of the mineral deposit that may be present therein.

Materials within the public lands covered by regulations in this subpart which are not subject to the provisions of §§ 3583.1-1 and 3583.1-2 of this title shall be subject to disposal under the Materials Act of 1947, as amended (30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), subject to the conditions and limitations on occupancy and operations prescribed for leases in this subpart.