Permits may be negotiated and granted by the Indian landowners with the permittee of their choice. The BIA may negotiate and grant permits on behalf of Indian landowners pursuant to § 166.205 of this part.

Upon the conclusion of negotiations with the Indian landowners or their representatives, and the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, you may submit an executed permit and any required supporting documents to us for appropriate action. Where a permit is in a form that has previously been accepted or approved by us, and all of the documents needed to support the findings required by this part have been received, we will decide whether to approve the permit within 30 days of the date of our receipt of the permit and supporting documents. If we decide to approve or disapprove a permit, we will notify the parties immediately and advise them of their right to appeal the decision under part 2 of this title.

In negotiating a permit, the Indian landowners may choose to include their land in the permit in exchange for their receipt of a share of the revenues or profits generated by the permit. Under such an arrangement, the permit may be granted to a joint venture or other legal entity owned, in part, by the Indian landowners.

Receipt of permit payments based upon income received from the land will not, of itself, make the Indian landowner a partner, joint venturer, or associate of the permittees.

We will assist prospective permittees in contacting the Indian landowners or their representatives, for the purpose of negotiating a permit.