HR 3872 · 119th Congress 2025–2027

To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.

Introduced Jun 10, 2025 Originated House Sponsor Pat Fallon R-TX

Fact sheet

Latest action · Sep 17, 2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 669.

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. IntroducedJun 10, 2025
  2. Passed HouseDec 15, 2025
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

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.

Cosponsors 2

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jun 10, 2025 to Jun 24, 2025, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
R-TXNathaniel MoranOriginalJun 10, 2025
R-NCPat HarriganJun 24, 2025

Actions 24

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Sep 17, 2026Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Lee without amendment. Without written report.
  2. Sep 17, 2026Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 669.
  3. Jun 10, 2026Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
  4. Feb 12, 2026Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
  5. Feb 12, 2026Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 119-305.
Show all 24 actions

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Energy.

Text 5

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Sep 17, 2026Reported to Senate
  2. Dec 16, 2025Referred in Senate
  3. Dec 15, 2025Engrossed in House
  4. Oct 31, 2025Reported in House
  5. Jun 10, 2025Introduced 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.