Bills / H.R. 3872
H.R. 3872
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.
In plain English
This bill specifies that all federally acquired lands are eligible to be considered for hardrock mineral leasing under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (MLAAL). The bill defines the term hardrock mineral to (1) include deposits of minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks, base metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, and precious and semi-precious gemstones; and (2) exclude deposits of coal, oil, oil shale, gas, sodium, potassium, sulfur, or mineral materials subject to disposition under the Materials Act of 1947. By way of background, hardrock minerals are not currently listed under the MLAAL as deposits subject to a lease, while mineral resources such as coal, phosphate, oil, gas, gilsonite, and sulfur are listed. As a result, federal lands may be leased for mining hardrock minerals only if the federal lands were acquired under a statute, such as the Weeks Act, that specifically authorizes the land to be used for hardrock mineral leasing.
Congressional Research Service summary from Congress.gov (not yet simplified).
Sponsor and status
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How South Carolina voted
No recorded roll-call vote on this bill yet. Most bills never get one.
Who lobbied
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No lobbying reported on this bill in the reports we have loaded (January 2025 through September 2026). Lobbyists report each quarter, about 20 days after it ends, so any lobbying since October 2026 will be added once those reports are filed.