A bill to consolidate certain mineral interests in the National Grasslands in Billings County, North Dakota, through the exchange of Federal and private mineral interests to enhance land management capabilities and environmental and wildlife protection, and for other purposes.
Public Law 105-167 · S. 750 · 105th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Bill Clinton (D) on Apr 13, 1998 · Public Lands and Natural Resources
Sponsor: Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Cosponsors (1): Sen. Kent Conrad
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to convey to the Burlington Resources Oil and Gas Company (formerly Meridian Oil Inc.) all Federal oil and gas rights and interests identified on a map entitled "Billings County, North Dakota, Consolidated Mineral Exchange--November 1995," contingent on Burlington's conveyance to the Secretary of title to all oil and gas rights and interests identified on the same map. States that the values of such exchanged oil and gas rights shall be deemed to be equal.
Directs the Secretary, after Burlington makes such conveyance, to convey all remaining Federal non-oil and gas mineral rights, title, and interests in the National Forest System lands and National Grasslands in the State of North Dakota, to owners of the remaining non-oil and gas mineral interests identified on such map, contingent on the owners' conveyance to the Secretary, of all their rights, title, and interests. States that the values of such exchanged interests shall be approximately equal, as determined by the Secretary.
Directs the Secretary to grant to Burlington the use of federally-owned surface lands to explore and develop interests conveyed to Burlington under this Act.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Natural Resources Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee; Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee
Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 16 actions.
- Apr 13, 1998Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 105-167.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Apr 2, 1998PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Mar 30, 1998FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · Mrs. Cubin moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Oct 9, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Forests and Forest Health Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 7, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Natural Resources Committee
- Oct 6, 1997FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 30, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Sep 24, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- Jun 18, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 16, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- May 15, 1997CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.