(a) The ONRR shall notify each operator, by certified mail, of the Secretary's decision to take royalty oil in kind. This notice shall be mailed at least 45 days in advance of the effective date of delivery and will specify delivery points for offshore oil for OCS leases issued after September 1969.

(b) Deliveries of royalty oil may be partially terminated only with the written approval of the Director, ONRR.

(c) Before terminating the delivery of royalty oil taken in kind, ONRR, if possible, will notify each operator by certified mail of the change in requirements at least 30 days in advance of the effective date.

(d) After ONRR notification that royalty oil will be taken in kind, the operator shall be responsible for notifying each working interest on the Federal lease. As soon as practicable after the date of each royalty oil sale, ONRR will publish in the Federal Register a notice of the leases from which royalty oil will be taken, the purchasers of the royalty oil, and the leases from which royalty oil deliveries will be discontinued on terminated contracts.

(e) A purchaser cannot transfer, assign, or sell its rights or interest in a royalty oil contract without written approval of the Director, ONRR. If the purchaser changes ownership or its assets are sold or liquidated for any reason, it cannot transfer, assign, or sell its rights or interest in the royalty oil contract without written approval of the Director, ONRR. Without express written consent from ONRR for a change in ownership, the royalty oil contract shall be terminated. The successor company must meet the definition of an eligible refiner in § 1208.2 of this part for ONRR to consider assignment of the royalty oil contract.