As used in this part, the following words and phrases have the specified meaning except where otherwise indicated:

Applicant means any person seeking a permit, lease, or an assignment from the superintendent or area director.

Approving official means the Bureau of Indians Affairs official with delegated authority to approve a lease or permit.

Area director means the Bureau of Indian Affairs official in charge of an area office.

Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management authorized by law or by lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described in this part and in 43 CFR parts 3160, 3180, 3260, 3280, 3480 and 3590.

Cooperative agreement means a binding arrangement between two or more parties purporting to the act of agreeing or of coming to a mutual arrangement that is accepted by all parties to a transaction (e.g., communitization and unitization).

Director's representative means the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement director's representative authorized by law or lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described in 30 CFR part 750.

Gas means any fluid, either combustible or non-combustible, that is produced in a natural state from the earth and that maintains a gaseous or rarefied state at ordinary temperature and pressure conditions.

Geological and geophysical permit means a written authorization to conduct on-site surveys to locate potential deposits of oil and gas, geothermal or solid mineral resources on the lands.

Geothermal resources means:

(1) All products of geothermal processes, including indigenous steam, hot water and hot brines;

(2) Steam and other gases, hot water, and hot brines, resulting from water, gas or other fluids artificially introduced into geothermal formations;

(3) Heat or other associated energy found in geothermal formations; and

(4) Any by-product derived therefrom.

In the best interest of the Indian mineral owner refers to the standards to be applied by the Secretary in considering whether to take an administrative action affecting the interests of an Indian mineral owner. In considering whether it is “in the best interest of the Indian mineral owner” to take a certain action (such as approval of a lease, permit, unitization or communitization agreement), the Secretary shall consider any relevant factor, including, but not limited to: economic considerations, such as date of lease expiration; probable financial effect on the Indian mineral owner; leasability of land concerned; need for change in the terms of the existing lease; marketability; and potential environmental, social, and cultural effects.

Indian lands means any lands owned by any individual Indian or Alaska Native, Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo, community, rancheria, colony, or other tribal group which owns land or interests in the land, the title to which is held in trust by the United States or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Indian mineral owner means an Indian tribe, band, nation, pueblo community, rancheria, colony, or other tribal group which owns mineral interests in oil and gas, geothermal or solid mineral resources, title to which is held in trust by the United States, or is subject to a restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Indian surface owner means any individual Indian or Indian tribe whose surface estate is held in trust by the United States, or is subject to restriction against alienation imposed by the United States.

Lease means any contract approved by the United States under the Act of May 11, 1938 (52 Stat. 347) (25 U.S.C. 396a-396g), as amended, that authorizes exploration for, extraction of, or removal of any minerals.

Lessee means a natural person, proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or other entity that has entered into a lease with an Indian mineral owner, or who has been assigned an obligation to make royalty or other payments required by the lease.

Lessor means an Indian mineral owner who is a party to a lease.

Minerals includes both metalliferous and non-metalliferous minerals; all hydrocarbons, including oil and gas, coal and lignite of all ranks; geothermal resources; and includes but is not limited to, sand, gravel, pumice, cinders, granite, building stone, limestone, clay, silt, or any other energy or non-energy mineral.

Minerals Management Service official means any employee of the Minerals Management Service (MMS) authorized by law or by lawful delegation of authority to perform the duties described in 30 CFR chapter II, subchapters A and C.

Mining means the science, technique, and business of mineral development including, but not limited to: opencast work, underground work, and in-situ leaching directed to severance and treatment of minerals; Provided, when sand, gravel, pumice, cinders, granite, building stone, limestone, clay or silt is the subject mineral, an enterprise is considered “mining” only if the extraction of such a mineral exceeds 5,000 cubic yards in any given year.

Oil means all nongaseous hydrocarbon substances other than those substances leasable as coal, oil shale, or gilsonite (including all vein-type solid hydrocarbons). Oil includes liquefiable hydrocarbon substances such as drip gasoline and other natural condensates recovered or recoverable in a liquid state from produced gas without resorting to a manufacturing process.

Permit means any contract issued by the superintendent and/or area director to conduct exploration on; or removal of less than 5,000 cubic yards per year of common varieties of minerals from Indian lands.

Permittee means a person holding or required by this part to hold a permit to conduct exploration operations on; or remove less than 5,000 cubic yards per year of common varieties of minerals from Indian lands.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior or an authorized representative.

Solid minerals means all minerals excluding oil, gas and geothermal resources.

Superintendent means the Bureau of Indian Affairs official in charge of the agency office having jurisdiction over the minerals subject to leasing under this part.