43 CFR §3510.15
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
We will issue or modify a lease under this subpart only if we determine that:
- (a)The lands are contiguous to your existing Federal lease or to non-Federal lands you own or control;
- (b)The new fringe lease does not exceed the maximum size allowed in a lease, as specified in § 3503.37 of this part;
- (c)The acreage of the modified lease, including additional lands, is not in excess of the maximum size allowed for a lease, as specified in § 3503.37 of this part;
- (d)The mineral deposit is not in an area of competitive interest to holders of other active mining units in the area;
- (e)The lands for which you applied for a fringe acreage lease lack sufficient reserves of the mineral resource to warrant independent development;
- (f)
- (1)The lands for which you applied for a lease modification contain known deposits of the same mineral deposit that can be mined only as part of the mining operations on the original Federal lease; or
- (2)
- (i)The acreage to be added does not contain known deposits of the same mineral; and
- (ii)The acreage to be added will be used for surface activities that are necessary for the recovery of the mineral deposit on the original Federal lease; and
- (iii)Had the acreage added by the modification been included in the original Federal lease at the time of that lease's issuance, the original Federal lease would have been reasonably compact.
- (g)Leasing the lands will conserve natural resources and will provide for economical and efficient recovery as part of a mining unit; and
- (h)You meet the qualification requirements for holding a lease described in subpart 3502 of this chapter and the new or modified lease will not cause you to exceed the acreage limitations described in § 3503.37.