T88 Combined interests.
C a n c e l l ation, forfeiture, etc.
Suits to cancel.
PUBLIC LAW 86-705-SEPT. 2, 1960
[74
ST AT
"(2) No contract for development and operation of any lands leased under this Act, whether or not coupled with an interest in such lease, and no lease held, owned, or controlled in common by two or more persons, associations, or corporations shall be deemed to create a separate association under the preceding paragraph of this subsection between or among the contracting parties or those who hold, own or control the lease in conmion, but the proportionate interest of each such party shall be charged against the total acreage permitted to be held, owned or controlled by such party under this Act. The total acreage so held, owned, or controlled in common by two or more parties shall not exceed, in the aggregate, an amount equivalent to the maximum number of acres of the respective kinds of minerals allowed to any one lessee, optionee, or permittee under this Act. " (f) Nothing contained m subsection (e) of this section shall be construed (i) to limit sections 18, 19, and 22 of this Act or (ii), subject to the approval of the Secretary, to prevent any number of lessees under this Act from combining their several interests so far as may be necessary for the purpose of constructing and carrying on the business of a refinerjr or of establishing and constructing, as a common carrier, a pipeline or railroad to be operated and used by them jointly in the transportation of oil from their several wells or from the wells of other lessees under this Act or in the transportation of coal or (iii) to increase the acreage which may be taken, held, owned, or controlled under section 27 of this Act. " (g) Any ownership or interest otherwise forbidden in this Act which may be acquired by descent, will, judgment, or decree may be held for two years after its acquisition and no longer. " (h)(1) If any interest in any lease is owned, or controlled, directly or indirectly, by means of stock or otherwise, in violation of any of the provisions of this Act, the lease may be canceled, or the interest so owned may be forfeited, or the person so owning or controlling the interest may be compelled to dispose of the interest, in any appropriate proceeding instituted by the Attorney General. Such a proceeding shall be instituted in the United States district court for the district in which the leased property or some part thereof is located or in which the defendant may be found. "(2), The right to cancel or forfeit for violation of any of the provisions of this Act shall not apply so as to affect adversely the title or interest of a bona fide purchaser of any lease, interest in a lease, option to acquire a lease or an interest therein, or permit which lease, interest, option, or permit was acquired and is held by a qualified person, association, or corporation in conformity with those provisions, even though the holdings of the person, association, or corporation from which the lease, interest, option, or permit was acquired, or of his predecessor in title (including the original lessee of the United States) may have been canceled or forfeited or may be or may have been subject to cancellation or forfeiture for any such violation. If, in any such proceeding, an underlying lease, interest, option, or permit is canceled or forfeited to the Government and there are valid interests therein or valid options to acquire the lease or an interest therein which are not subject to cancellation, forfeiture, or compulsory disposition, the underlying lease, interest^ option, or permit shall be sold by the Secretary to the highest responsible qualified bidder by competitive bidding under general regulations subject to all outstanding valid interests therein and valid options pertaining thereto. Likewise if, in any such proceeding, less than the whole interest in a lease, interest, option, or permit is canceled or forfeited to the Government, the partial interests so canceled or forfeited shall be sold by the Secretary to the highest responsible qualified bidder by competitive bidding under general regulations. If competitive bidding fails to produce a satis-
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