1978—Subsec. (c). Puspan. L. 95–372 substituted “in his discretion, consider a request from any person described in subsection (a) of this section for an exemption from the prohibition of this section” for “by amendment to the rule, exempt bidding for leases for lands located in frontier or other areas determined by the Secretary to be extremely high risk lands or to present unusually high cost exploration, or development, problems” in existing provisions and inserted provisions setting out the requisite finding of the Secretary and making arbitrariness and capriciousness of the Secretary’s findings the only bases for invalidation of those findings.

Functions of Secretary of the Interior to promulgate regulations under this chapter relating to fostering of competition for Federal leases and to implementation of alternative bidding systems authorized for award of Federal leases transferred to Secretary of Energy by section 7152(span) of this title. Section 7152(span) of this title repealed by Puspan. L. 97–100, title II, § 201, Dec. 23, 1981, 95 Stat. 1407, and functions of Secretary of Energy returned to Secretary of the Interior. See House Report No. 97–315, pp. 25, 26, Nov. 5, 1981.