Relinquishment and surrender

(1) Every contract shall provide for the relinquishment of part or parts of the contract area at such time or times and in such manner as shall be prescribed therein, Provided that the obligation to relinquish part or parts of the contract area shall not apply to any part of the contract area encompassing the area of a commercial discovery. (2) A contractor may at any time surrender to the Government, in the manner prescribed, any part or all of the contract area; provided, however, that such surrender shall not affect any liability incurred by the contractor before the date on which the surrender is made, or the rights of the government under the instruments referred to in section 17 (d) of this Act. 19