(a) In the exercise of jurisdiction under §582.10, the Director is authorized and directed to act upon the requests, applications, and notices submitted under the regulations in this part; to issue either written or oral orders to govern lease operations; and to require compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and lease terms so that all operations conform to sound conservation practices and are conducted in a manner which is consistent with the following:

(1) Make such OCS minerals available to meet the nation's needs in a timely manner;

(2) Balance OCS mineral resource development with protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments;

(3) Ensure the public a fair and equitable return on OCS minerals leased on the OCS; and

(4) Foster and encourage private enterprise.

(b)

(1) The Director is to be provided ready access to all OCS mineral resource data and all environmental data acquired by the lessee or holder of a right of use and easement in the course of operations on a lease or right of use and easement and may require a lessee or holder to obtain additional environmental data when deemed necessary to assure adequate protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments.

(2) The Director is to be provided an opportunity to inspect, cut, and remove representative portions of all samples acquired by a lessee in the course of operations on the lease.

(c) In addition to the rights and privileges granted to a lessee under any lease issued or maintained under the Act, on request, the Director may grant a lessee, subject to such conditions as the Director may prescribe, a right of use and easement to construct and maintain platforms, artificial islands, and/or other installations and devices which are permanently or temporarily attached to the seabed and which are needed for the conduct of leasehold exploration, testing, development, production, and processing activities or other leasehold related operations whether on or off the lease.

(d)

(1) The Director may approve the consolidation of two or more OCS mineral leases or portions of two or more OCS mineral leases into a single mining unit requested by lessees, or the Director may require such consolidation when the operation of those leases or portions of leases as a single mining unit is in the interest of conservation of the natural resources of the OCS or the prevention of waste. A mining unit may also include all or portions of one or more OCS mineral leases with all or portions of one or more adjacent State leases for minerals in a common orebody. A single unit operator shall be responsible for submission of required Delineation, Testing, and Mining Plans covering OCS mineral operations for an approved mining unit.

(2) Operations such as exploration, testing, and mining activities conducted in accordance with an approved plan on any lease or portion of a lease which is subject to an approved mining unit shall be considered operations on each of the leases that is made subject to the approved mining unit.

(3) Minimum royalty paid pursuant to a Federal lease, which is subject to an approved mining unit, is creditable against the production royalties allocated to that Federal lease during the lease year for which the minimum royalty is paid.

(4) Any OCS minerals produced from State and Federal leases which are subject to an approved mining unit shall be accounted for separately unless a method of allocating production between State and Federal leases has been approved by the Director and the appropriate State official.