HR 5060 · 113th Congress 2013–2015, ended

Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2014

Fact sheet

Latest action · Jul 18, 2014 Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedJul 10, 2014
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act Of 2014 - Applies this Act to any mining claim, millsite claim, or tunnel site claim located under the general mining laws.

Subjects to the requirements of this Act, except in specified circumstances, any unpatented mining claim or millsite claim located under the general mining laws before the enactment of this Act for which a plan of operation has not been approved or a notice filed before the date of enactment.

Prohibits the issuance of a patent for any mining or millsite claims whose application was filed after September 30, 1994.

Subjects production of locatable minerals to a royalty of 8% of the gross income from mining.

Reduces that royalty to 4% in the case of federal land subject to an operations permit on the date of the enactment of this Act and produces valuable locatable minerals in commercial quantities on that date.

Declares any royalty inapplicable to a person whose annual gross income from mineral production, including the income of all related parties, is less than $100,000.

Prescribes a hardrock mining claim maintenance fee for each unpatented mining claim, mill, or tunnel site on federally owned lands, except for a claimant who, together with all related parties, held not more than 10 mining claims, mill sites, or tunnel sites (or any combination) on public lands, and performed required assessment work.

Designates certain wilderness study areas, areas of critical environmental concern, and related areas as not open to location of mining claims.

Permits a state or local government or Indian tribe to petition the Secretary of the Interior for withdrawal of specific federal land from operation of the general mining laws in order to protect specific values.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that mineral activities on federal land subject to a claim are carefully controlled to prevent undue degradation of public lands and resources.

Prescribes requirements for the exploration permit process and for operations permits, including financial assurances.

Requires restoration of lands to a condition capable of supporting prior uses or other beneficial uses.

Establishes the Hardrock Minerals Fund, composed of the Hardrock Reclamation Account and the Hardrock Community Impact Assistance Account.

Requires each operator of a hardrock mining operation to pay the Secretary, for deposit in the Fund, a displaced material reclamation fee of 7 cents per ton of displaced material.

Authorizes use of amounts in the Hardrock Reclamation Account for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past hardrock mineral activities and related activities.

Amends the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate prompt actions to improve the availability and analysis of mineral data in public land use decision-making with respect to National Forest System lands.

Restricts to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia judicial review of any final action constituting rulemaking to implement this Act.

Amends the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to reflect the provisions of this Act regarding oil shale claims.

Repeals the Building Stone Act and the Saline Placer Act.

Good Samaritan Cleanup of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2014 - Encourages remediation of inactive and abandoned mine sites by Good Samaritans (defined as individuals or entities who had no role in the creation of the historic mine residue or any resulting environmental pollution and are not legally responsible for the remediation of the historic mine residue).

Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to authorize a permitting authority with an approved Good Samaritan program to issue Good Samaritan discharge permits. Prescribes permit requirements.

Shields from liability under such Act Good Samaritans who comply with a discharge permit approved under this Act.


Cosponsors 25

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 10, 2014 to Sep 11, 2014, with 19 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-CAAdam B. SchiffOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-CAAlan S. LowenthalOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-CABarbara LeeOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-MNBetty McCollumOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-NHCarol Shea-PorterOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-VIDonna M. ChristensenOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-OREarl BlumenauerOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-ASEni F. H. FaleomavaegaOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-MPGregorio Kilili Camacho SablanOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-VAJames P. MoranOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-CAJared HuffmanOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-WAJim McDermottOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-MAKatherine M. ClarkOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-NYLouise McIntosh SlaughterOriginalJul 10, 2014
D-GUMadeleine Z. BordalloOriginalJul 10, 2014

Actions 4

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Jul 18, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
  2. Jul 11, 2014Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
  3. Jul 10, 2014Introduced in House
  4. Jul 10, 2014Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 1443Good Samaritan Cleanup of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2013Related billAug 1, 2013
HR 2467Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup and Taxpayer Fairness ActRelated billJun 27, 2013
HR 2970Good Samaritan Cleanup of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2013Related billAug 2, 2013

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Jul 10, 2014Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov.