3.0.0 2254 2023-01-11T13:32:35Z 2023-01-11T13:32:35Z Senate S 2015-11-05 114 sseg00 Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senate Standing Referred to 2015-11-05T21:47:20Z 2015-11-05 sseg00 Energy and Natural Resources Committee Senate Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7817-7818) IntroReferral 2015-11-05 Introduced in Senate IntroReferral 10000 9 Library of Congress U000039 Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM] TOM UDALL D NM N H001046 Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] Martin Heinrich D NM T. 2015-11-05 True B001267 Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] Michael Bennet D CO 2015-11-05 True W000779 Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] Ron Wyden D OR 2015-11-05 True M000133 Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] Edward Markey D MA J. 2015-11-05 True Public Lands and Natural Resources Administrative remedies Alaska Arizona California Civil actions and liability Colorado Congressional oversight Energy Energy revenues and royalties Environmental health Federal preemption Forests, forestry, trees Fraud offenses and financial crimes Government information and archives Government studies and investigations Government trust funds Idaho Judicial review and appeals Land use and conservation Licensing and registrations Mining Montana Nevada New Mexico North Dakota Nuclear power Oregon South Dakota Utah Washington State Water quality Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats Wyoming Public Lands and Natural Resources 00 2015-11-05 Introduced in Senate 2016-04-04T19:47:29Z Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015

This bill prohibits the United States from issuing a patent for any mining claim, millsite, or tunnel site located unless a patent application meeting all applicable requirements was filed with the Department of the Interior by September 30, 1994.

The holder of each unpatented mining claim, millsite, or tunnel site shall pay Interior a maintenance fee of $150 for each claim, millsite, or tunnel site, as well as a location fee of $50.

Any claimholder failing to perform assessment work or fee a maintenance fee shall forfeit the claim, millsite, or tunnel site.

Production of all locatable minerals from any mining claim shall be subject to a reasonable royalty established by Interior of between 2% and 5% of the gross income from mining for production of all locatable minerals, which may be reduced in certain circumstances.

Interior shall establish a comprehensive inspection, collection, fiscal, and production accounting and auditing system

The bill prescribes requirements for exploration permits and mining permits.

Any mining operator shall provide Interior with specified financial assurances to ensure the completion of reclamation and the restoration of any land or water adversely affected by the mineral activities.

The operator shall restore land and water subject to mineral activities carried out under a permit to a condition capable of supporting:

  • the uses that the land and water was capable of supporting before surface disturbance by the operator; or
  • other beneficial uses that conform to applicable land use plans.

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 is amended to require Interior, for land under the Bureau of Land Management, and the Department of Agriculture, for National Forest System land, to review specified public lands, especially federal land in which mineral activities pose a reasonable likelihood of substantial adverse impacts on National Conservation System units, to inform decisions on withdrawal of land from mining operations.

The bill establishes the Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund, administered by the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past hardrock minerals and mining and related activities in abandoned hardrock mine states and on Indian land.

Each operator of a hardrock minerals mining operation shall pay, for deposit in the Fund, a reclamation fee of between 0.6% and 2% of the value of the annual production from the operation.

The bill prescribes civil penalties for violation of surface management or operation requirements and related regulations.

]]> Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015 Display Title Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015 Official Title as Introduced A bill to modify the requirements applicable to locatable minerals on public domain land, and for other purposes. Introduced in Senate IS Short Titles as Introduced Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2015 Introduced in Senate 2015-11-05T05:00:00Z https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-114s2254is/xml/BILLS-114s2254is.xml 2015-11-05 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7817-7818) text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress This file contains bill summaries and statuses for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.