30 U.S.C. § 301 — Authorization for lease of oil and gas deposits; by and to whom leased

This section has no lettered subsections. Whenever the Secretary of the Interior decides it is consistent with the public interest, the Secretary may lease deposits of oil and gas located in or under land that is part of a railroad or other right-of-way acquired under U.S. law — whether the government holds a full ownership interest ("fee") or just an easement over that land. There is a limit: except as otherwise authorized elsewhere, the lease can only be given to the municipality, corporation, firm, association, or individual that originally acquired the right-of-way, or to that party's lawful successor, assignee, or transferee.