San Juan County Settlement Implementation Act of 2016

San Juan County Settlement Implementation Act of 2016

This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to retire any coal preference right lease application for which it has made an affirmative commercial quantities determination by:

• issuing bidding rights in exchange for relinquishment of the application, and
• making a payment to the relevant state of 50% of the dollar amount of any bidding right subsequently used in lieu of any monetary bonus in a coal lease sale or of rental or royalty under a federal coal lease.

Interior shall make such payments from amounts that would otherwise be deposited in the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts under the Mineral Leasing Act.

The bill declares such bidding rights fully transferable to any other person.

The bill cancels specified land selections made by the Navajo Nation pursuant to the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974. Subject to specified exclusions, the Navajo Nation may make new land selections to replace those canceled.

The bill designates approximately 7,242 acres of land as the Ah-shi-sle-pah Wilderness and incorporates approximately 2,250 acres of specified federal land into the Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.