5-7-41. Assignment of certain state-owned minerals to oil and gas royalty increment status--Required findings. The commissioner of school and public lands may, upon his own motion or upon petition by an interested person assign, specific state-owned minerals to oil and gas royalty increment status. The assignment shall be made pursuant to the contested case requirements of chapter 1-26 and shall include a legal description of the state mineral lands assigned the status and a specific term, under ten years, during which the lands may be leased as on an oil and gas royalty increment status. The assignment may be made only upon a finding by the commissioner that:

(1) There has been no oil or gas production on the state-owned mineral land proposed to be assigned royalty increment status, and on private or federal minerals within the immediate area;

(2) There has been no oil or gas lease issued on the state-owned mineral land proposed to be assigned royalty increment status within the last ten years;

(3) There has been no oil or gas prospecting permit issued for the state-owned mineral land proposed to be assigned royalty increment status within the last five years;

(4) There has been no exploration permit for oil or gas issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the immediate area of the state-owned mineral land proposed to be assigned royalty increment status within the last five years;

(5) The assignment of oil and gas royalty increment status to the state-owned minerals may encourage the development of oil or gas reserves on those lands; and

(6) The assignment will not have a substantial impact on privately owned minerals within the immediate area surrounding the state-owned mineral land proposed to be assigned royalty increment status.Source: SL 1992, ch 43, § 1.