Working on Indian Lands
On this page you will find useful information about doing business on Indian lands.
- Mineral and Surface Ownership Classifications
- Tribal - federal lands owned by a tribe
- Allotted - individually owned federal trust acreage
- Fee - non trust individuals who could be Indian or non Indian who own lands on reservations
- Lease Samples
- Sample Oil & Gas Lease - Allotted Indian Lands
- Tribes can also create their own lease agreements under the Indian Mineral Development Act (IMDA)
- National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance must be met which may include categorical exclusion (CATEX), environmental assessments (EA), and environmental impact statements (EIS).
- Federal agencies and their respective roles in the leasing process
- Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) - lead agency on lease agreements up to the point of signing an agreement
- Bureau of Land Management (BLM) - reviews leases and reclamation issues
- Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) - formerly Minerals Management Service, reviews royalty rate provisions to ensure clarity of calculations and distributes royalty payments
- Office of Surface Mining (OSM) - reviews mining leases
Regions
Click the map to view our regions and their office contact information and the tribes served by that region