As used in this part, the following terms have the specified meaning except where otherwise indicated.

Area Director means the Bureau of Indian Affairs Official in charge of an Area Office.

Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs means the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior, a designee of the Secretary of the Interior who may be specifically authorized by the Secretary to disapprove minerals agreements (25 U.S.C. 2103(d)) and to issue orders of cessation and/or minerals agreement cancellations as final orders of the Department.

Authorized Officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management authorized by law or by lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described herein and in 43 CFR parts 3160, 3180, 3260, 3280, 3480 and 3590.

Director's Representative means the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement Director's Representative authorized by law or by lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described in 30 CFR part 750 and 25 CFR part 216.

Gas means any fluid, either combustible or noncombustible, that is produced in a natural state from the earth and that maintains a gaseous or rarefied state at ordinary temperature and pressure conditions.

Geothermal resources means: (1) All products of geothermal processes, including indigenous steam, hot water, and hot brines;

(2) Steam and other gases, hot water, and hot brines, resulting from water, gas, or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal formations;

(3) Heat or other associated energy found in geothermal formations; and

(4) Any by-product derived therefrom.

In the best interest of the Indian mineral owner refers to the standards to be applied by the Secretary in considering whether to take administrative action affecting the interests of an Indian mineral owner. In considering whether it is “in the best interest of the Indian mineral owner” to take a certain action (such as approval of a minerals agreement or a unitization or communitization agreement) the Secretary shall consider any relevant factor, including, but not limited to: economic considerations, such as date of lease or minerals agreement expiration; probable financial effects on the Indian mineral owner; need for change in the terms of the existing minerals agreement; marketability of mineral products; and potential environmental, social and cultural effects.

Indian lands means any lands or interests in lands owned by any individual Indian or Alaska Native, Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other group, the title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Indian mineral owner means any individual Indian or Alaska Native, or Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other group that owns a mineral interest in oil and gas, geothermal resources or solid minerals, title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Indian surface owner means any individual Indian or Alaska Native, or Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other group that owns the surface estate in land the title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Indian tribe means any Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other group that owns land or interests in land the title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Individual Indian means any individual Indian or Alaska Native who owns land or interests in land the title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Minerals includes both metalliferous and non-metalliferous minerals; all hydrocarbons, including oil and gas, coal and lignite of all ranks; geothermal resources; and includes but is not limited to sand, gravel, pumice, cinders, granite, building stone, limestone, clay, silt, or any other energy or non-energy mineral.

Minerals agreement means any joint venture, operating, production sharing, service, managerial, lease (other than a lease entered into pursuant to the Act of May 11, 1938, or the Act of March 3, 1909), contract, or other minerals agreement; or any amendment, supplement or other modification of such minerals agreement, providing for the exploration for, or extraction, processing, or other development of minerals in which an Indian mineral owner owns a beneficial or restricted interest, or providing for the sale or other disposition of the production or products of such minerals.

Minerals Management Service official means any employee of the Minerals Management Service authorized by law or by lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described in 30 CFR chapter II, subchapters A and C.

Mining means the science, technique, and business of mineral development, including, but not limited to: opencast work, underground work, in-situ leaching, or other methods directed to severance and treatment of minerals; however, when sand, gravel, pumice, cinders, granite, building stone, limestone, clay or silt is the subject mineral, an enterprise is considered “mining” only if the extraction of such a mineral exceeds 5,000 cubic yards in any given year.

Oil means all non-gaseous hydrocarbon substances other than coal, oil shale, or gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons). Oil includes liquefiable hydrocarbon substances such as drip gasoline and other natural condensates recovered or recoverable in a liquid state from produced gas without resorting to a manufacturing process.

Operator means a person, proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or other business entity that has entered into an approved minerals agreement under the authority of the Indian Mineral Development Act of 1982, or who has been assigned an obligation to make royalty or other payments required by the minerals agreement.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or an authorized representative, except that as used in § 225.22 (e) and (f) the authorized representative may only be the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs (25 U.S.C. 2103(d)).

Solid minerals means all minerals excluding oil, gas, and geothermal resources.

Superintendent means the Bureau of Indian Affairs official in charge of an agency office.