Bill > HR6674

This bill, titled the "Conserving Lands and Areas Incompatible with Mining Act of 2025" or "CLAIM Act of 2025," updates the hardrock mining claim maintenance fee established by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. It introduces a tiered fee structure for mining claims based on their proximity to "covered areas," which are defined as units of the National Park System or national monuments designated under the Antiquities Act. Claims within a covered area will have the highest fee ($1,100), with fees decreasing for claims located progressively further away, down to $300 for claims more than 30 miles from a covered area. These fees will replace the requirement for "assessment work," which is the annual labor or improvements needed to maintain a mining claim under the Mining Law of 1872. The bill also exempts "small miners," defined as individuals or entities holding a limited number of claims, operating on a small acreage, with minimal annual gross income from mineral production, and certifying that their claims will only be used for "casual use" (minor activities that don't disturb federal land), from these fees and assessment work requirements. The Secretary of the Interior is mandated to adjust these fees every five years to account for inflation, with notice provided to claimants. Additionally, the bill allows the Secretary to collect user fees for administrative expenses, directs claim maintenance fees to be used for administering mining laws, and allocates any excess funds to programs like the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Tribal Historic Preservation, states, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/6674/all-info