10 U.S.C. § 8722 — Administration

(a) The Secretary^* may directly or through a contract, lease, or other arrangement explore, prospect, conserve, develop, use, and operate the naval petroleum reserves^*, subject to this chapter and subsection (c). No petroleum^* lease may be granted at Reserves 1 or 3. (b) Unless this chapter, especially (c), says otherwise, the reserves are used for (1) protection, conservation, maintenance, and testing, or (2) petroleum production when the Secretary, with presidential approval, finds it needed for national defense^* and a joint congressional resolution authorizes it. (c)(1) For Reserves 1, 2, and 3, the Secretary is authorized and directed to (A) further explore, develop, and operate them; (B) during a paragraph (2) extension, produce at the maximum efficient rate^* consistent with sound engineering, or at a lower sound-engineering rate^* that protects and maintains the reserves if the Secretary finds the section 8730(b)(2) minimum price cannot be obtained for the United States share of petroleum other than natural-gas liquids; (C) during production or an extension, sell or otherwise dispose of the United States share under section 8730; and (D) build, acquire, or contract for storage, shipping, pipelines, and related facilities on or off the reserves to move petroleum to refining or shipping points. The Secretary may condemn a nearby non-common-carrier pipeline if its owner refuses nondiscriminatory transport at reasonable rates. With approval, rights-of-way may be acquired through eminent domain in the appropriate district court under title 40 sections 3114–3116 and 3118; the prospective holder is the legally empowered land-acquiring authority. New pipelines must be common carriers and accept and transport reserve petroleum without discrimination at reasonable rates. (2) After April 5, 1982, the President may extend production for periods of up to three years each if, for every extension, the President orders an investigation of continued need, sends Congress the investigation report and a certification that continued production is in the national interest at least 180 days before the current period ends, and neither House adopts a disapproval resolution within 90 days after receiving them.