(a) Except as provided by §2885.22, the BLM calculates your rent by multiplying the rent per acre for the appropriate county (or other geographical area) zone from the current schedule by the number of acres (as rounded up to the nearest tenth of an acre) in the right-of-way or TUP area that fall in each zone and multiplying the result by the number of years in the rental payment period (the length of time for which the holder is paying rent).

(b) Phase-in provisions. If, as the result of any revisions made to the Per Acre Rent Schedule under §2885.19(a)(2), the payment of your new annual rental amount would cause you undue hardship, you may qualify for a 2-year phase-in period if you are a small business entity as that term is defined in Small Business Administration regulations and if it is in the public interest. We will require you to submit information to support your claim. If approved by the BLM State Director, payment of the amount in excess of the previous year's rent may be phased-in by equal increments over a 2-year period. In addition, the BLM will adjust the total calculated rent for year 2 of the phase-in period by the annual index provided by §2885.19(a)(1).

(c) If the BLM has not previously used the rent schedule to calculate your rent, we may do so after giving you reasonable written notice.

[73 FR 65073, Oct. 31, 2008, as amended at 81 FR 92228, Dec. 19, 2016]