77-3-301. Coal leases authorized. In response to an application or on its own initiative, the board may lease in a manner that it considers in the best interests of the state any state lands to which the title is vested in the state and in which the coal or coal rights are not reserved by the United States for exploring for, mining, removing, selling, and disposing of the coal, upon the terms and conditions provided in this section and subject to the rules that the board prescribes.