Cooperative Leasing Offers Increased Competition, Revenues, and Production From Federal Coal Leases in Western Checkerboard Lands
EMD-82-72
Published: Apr 28, 1982. Publicly Released: Apr 28, 1982.
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Highlights
GAO evaluated the Department of the Interior's ongoing experiment with cooperative leasing agreements as a possible alternative approach for developing Federal coal in Western checkerboard lands. The basic GAO objective was to determine whether Interior's efforts to plan and conduct a cooperative coal lease sale would result in a fair and reasonable first test for the concept.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should continue efforts leading to the cooperative leasing of the Red Rim tract. |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of the Interior | The Secretary of the Interior should, in planning future leasing activities: (1) take steps, such as announcements in the media, which could lead to increased submittals of cooperative coal leasing proposals from private parties holding surface and coal rights to lands adjoining Federal coal holdings; (2) identify to the public where cooperative leasing proposals could be incorporated into the existing coal leasing program; and (3) give priority to cooperative coal leasing proposals containing all of the surface and underlying coal rights. |
Interior currently has no plans for using the cooperative agreements concept in upcoming coal leasing. No action is required by GAO.
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Coal leasesCoal miningCompetitionLand managementLeasing policiesMining industryProgram evaluationPublic landsTestingCoal