(US Senate) U.S. Senator Steve Daines introduced the “Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Mineral Spacing Act” which he says will streamline the permitting process for oil and gas development in Montana and better respect the rights of private mineral holders.
The “BLM Mineral Spacing Act” removes the requirement for a BLM drilling permit in instances when less than 50 percent of the subsurface minerals within a drilling spacing unit are owned by the federal government and when the federal government does not own or lease any surface rights within the impacted area.
If enacted, the federal government retains the right to receive royalties from the production of federal minerals within the spacing unit.
