The Secretary is authorized to enter into a cooperative agreement or agreements with any State or Indian tribe to share oil or gas royalty management information, to carry out inspection, auditing, investigation or enforcement (not including the collection of royalties, civil or criminal penalties or other payments) activities under this chapter in cooperation with the Secretary, and to carry out any other activity described in section 1718 of this title. The Secretary shall not enter into any such cooperative agreement with a State with respect to any such activities on Indian lands, except with the permission of the Indian tribe involved.

Except as provided in section 1733 of this title, and pursuant to a cooperative agreement—

(1) each State shall, upon request, have access to all royalty accounting information in the possession of the Secretary respecting the production, removal, or sale of oil or gas from leases on Federal lands within the State; and

(2) each Indian tribe shall, upon request, have access to all royalty accounting information in the possession of the Secretary respecting the production, removal, or sale of oil or gas from leases on Indian lands under the jurisdiction of such tribe.

Any cooperative agreement entered into pursuant to this section shall be in accordance with the provisions of chapter 63 of title 31, and shall contain such terms and conditions as the Secretary deems appropriate and consistent with the purposes of this chapter, including, but not limited to, a limitation on the use of Federal assistance to those costs which are directly required to carry out the agreed upon activities.

(Pub. L. 97–451, title II, § 202, Jan. 12, 1983, 96 Stat. 2457.)