To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.
Officially: “To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.” Read the full text
What it does
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1Short title
This section states that the Act may be called the Mineral Extraction for Renewable Industry and Critical Applications Act of 2025 or the MERICA Act of 2025.
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Mineral Extraction for Renewable Industry and Critical Applications Act of 2025 or the MERICA Act of 2025 .
2Application of Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to hardrock minerals
This section would amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 351 et seq.) in two ways. First, it reorganizes the existing definitions in section 2 of that Act (30 U.S.C. 351) into six separate, numbered paragraphs covering the terms United States, Acquired lands, Secretary, Mineral leasing laws, Lease, and Oil, without changing what any of those terms mean. It then adds a new, seventh definition for hardrock mineral. Under this new definition, a hardrock mineral includes deposits of minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks, base metals, precious metals, industrial metals, and precious and semi-precious gemstones. A hardrock mineral does not include deposits of coal, oil, oil shale, gas, sodium, potassium, sulfur, or mineral materials that are subject to disposition under the Act of July 31, 1947, commonly known as the Materials Act of 1947 (30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). Second, this section would amend section 3 of the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (30 U.S.C. 352) to add hardrock minerals to the list of substances covered by that section, alongside sulfur. As a result, hardrock minerals located on lands acquired by the United States would become subject to leasing under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands in the same way sulfur and the other minerals already listed in section 3 are.
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2. Application of Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to hardrock minerals The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands ( 30 U.S.C. 351 et seq. ) is amended— (1) in section 2 ( 30 U.S.C. 351 )— (A) by striking Act United States and inserting the following: Act: (1) United States The term United States ; (B) by striking Alaska. Acquired lands and inserting the following: Alaska. (2) Acquired lands; lands acquired by the United States The term acquired lands ; (C) by striking 552). “Secretary and inserting the following: 552). (3) Secretary The term Secretary ; (D) by striking Interior. Mineral leasing laws shall mean and inserting the following: Interior. (4) Mineral leasing laws The term mineral leasing laws means ; (E) by striking Acts. Lease and inserting the following: Acts. (5) Lease The term lease ; (F) by striking requires. The term and inserting the following: requires. (6) Oil The term ; and (G) by adding at the end the following: (7) Hardrock mineral The term hardrock mineral — (A) includes deposits of— (i) minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks; (ii) base metals; (iii) precious metals; (iv) industrial metals; and (v) precious and semi-precious gemstones; and (B) does not include deposits of— (i) coal; (ii) oil; (iii) oil shale; (iv) gas; (v) sodium; (vi) potassium; (vii) sulfur; or (viii) mineral materials subject to disposition under the Act of July 31, 1947, commonly known as the Materials Act of 1947 ( 30 U.S.C. 601 et seq. ). ; and (2) in section 3 ( 30 U.S.C. 352 ), by striking and sulfur and inserting sulfur, and hardrock minerals .
Where it is
In the House.