SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO. 27


It specifies the financial terms of the right to use land (rents and royal-
ties) as well as minimum production levels required. In addition, a lease
may stipulate reclamation staging and type and requirements to monitor
a peat mining or processing venture. Thus, the lease is a complex man-
agement tool.
 "Other'management elements include environmental review proce-
dures and permitting processes. These are shared by responsible agen-
cies, in Minnesota: the Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Con-
trol, the Minnesota Energy Agency, and the Environmental Quality
Board. Between them are administered water withdrawal and drainage
permits, air quality permits, certificates of need for energy proposals,
and environmental impact statements.
 "From the above elements a comprehensive management program for
Minnesota peatlands can emerge. Through proper site selection proce-
dures it should be possible to allocate peatland uses to avoid resource
conflicts, areas of environmental sensitivity, and unnecessary social and
economic costs. A careful leasing process should assure a fair return to
the state for making the resource available to the private sector and
insure that the land is returned, or reclaimed, to a useful condition. Per-
mits and environmental review procedures are the final safeguard
against developments inimical to the environment."

 PEATLANDS MANAGEMENT, PROVINCE OF NEW BRUNSWICK
 (From Keys, 1980)
 Ownership of Peatlands

 Peat is classified as a surficial deposit in New Brunswick under the
provision of the Quarriable Substance Act. As such, ownership of the
deposits rests with the landowner. However, few peatlands were
included in the original applications for land grants. Hence, ownership of
an estimated 80 percent of New Brunswick peatlands remains with the
province under the administration of the Department of Natural
Resources.
 "The twelve companies presently producing horticultural peat prod-
ucts in New Brunswick lease all or parts of their production areas from
the province. An acreage rental and a royalty on production is paid annu-
ally. The regulations governing leasing of peatlands were recently revised
to ensure optimum management of the resource (3). The objectives of
the leasing policy are to maximize the contribution of the resource to the
economic development of the province and to have development in a
manner which does not jeopardize future utilization or rehabilitation of
the peatlands.
 "To obtain a peat production lease, it is first necessary to obtain a
peatland exploration license. This license effectively reserves an area of
800 hectares (2,000 acres) to allow the applicant sufficient time to
ascertain that the quality and amount of peat in the proposed lease is
suitable for the intended use. The exploration license is renewable annu-


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