(a) You may receive a credit against royalties for in-kind deliveries of electricity you provide under contract to a State or county government if:

(1) The State or county to which you provide electricity would receive a portion of the royalties you paid in money for the lease under 30 U.S.C. 191 or 30 U.S.C. 1019, except as otherwise provided under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands, 30 U.S.C. 355, because your lease is located in that State or county. If your lease is located in more than one State or county, the revenues are paid to the respective States or counties based on their proportionate shares of the total acres in the lease;

(2) The ONRR approves in advance your contract with the State or county to which you are providing in-kind electricity; and

(3) Your contract provides that you will use the wholesale value of the electricity for the area where your lease is located to establish the specific methodology to determine the amount of the credit; and

(b) The maximum credit you may take under this section is equal to the portion of the royalty revenue that ONRR would have paid to the State or county that is a party to the contract had you paid royalty in money on all of the electricity you delivered to the State or county based on the wholesale value of the electricity. You must pay in money any royalty amount that is not offset by the credit allowed under this section, calculated based on the wholesale value of the electricity.

(c) The electricity the State or county government receives from you satisfies the Secretary's payment obligation to the State or county under 30 U.S.C. 191 or 30 U.S.C. 1019.

[72 FR 24468, May 2, 2007]