Page 119 TITLE 30—MINERAL LANDS AND MINING § 625

appropriate order. The order issued by the Secretary of the Interior shall provide for one of the

following: (1) a complete prohibition of placer

mining; (2) a permission to engage in placer

mining upon the condition that the locator

shall, following placer operations, restore the

surface of the claim to the condition in which it

was immediately prior to those operations; or

(3) a general permission to engage in placer mining. No order by the Secretary with respect to

such operations shall be valid unless a certified

copy is filed in the same State or county office

in which the locator’s notice of location has

been filed in compliance with the United States

mining laws.

The Secretary shall establish such rules and

regulations as he deems desirable concerning

bonds and deposits with respect to the restoration of lands to their condition prior to placer

mining operations. Moneys received from any

bond or deposit shall be used for the restoration

of the surface of the claim involved, and any

money received in excess of the amount needed

for the restoration of the surface of that claim

shall be refunded.

(c) Validity of withdrawals unaffected

Nothing in this chapter shall affect the validity of withdrawals or reservations for purposes

other than power development.

(Aug. 11, 1955, ch. 797, §2, 69 Stat. 682; Pub. L.

86–507, §1(27), June 11, 1960, 74 Stat. 202; Pub. L.

95–91, title IV, §402(a)(1)(A), title VII, §§703, 707,

Aug. 4, 1977, 91 Stat. 584, 606, 607.)

REFERENCES IN TEXT

Act of April 8, 1948, referred to in subsec. (a), is act

Apr. 8, 1948, ch. 179, 62 Stat. 162, which is not classified

to the Code.

The Federal Power Act, referred to in subsec. (a), is

act June 10, 1920, ch. 285, 41 Stat. 1063, as amended,

which is classified generally to chapter 12 (§791a et

seq.) of Title 16, Conservation. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 791a of Title 16

and Tables.

AMENDMENTS

1960—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 86–507 inserted ‘‘or certified

mail’’ after ‘‘registered mail’’.

SHORT TITLE

Section 1 of act Aug. 11, 1955, provided: ‘‘That this

Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Mining

Claims Rights Restoration Act of 1955’.’’

TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS

‘‘Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’’ substituted for ‘‘Federal Power Commission’’ in subsec. (a)

pursuant to sections 402(a)(1)(A), 703, and 707 of Pub. L.

95–91, which are classified to sections 7172(a)(1)(A), 7293,

and 7297 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, and

which terminated Federal Power Commission and

transferred its functions relating to licensing and permits for dams, reservoirs, or other works for development and improvement of navigation and for development and utilization of power across, along, from, or in

navigable waters under part I of Federal Power Act (16

U.S.C. 791a et seq.) to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

CROSS REFERENCES

Oregon and California Railroad and Coos Bay Wagon

Road grant lands, see section 1181a et seq. of Title 43,

Public Lands.

SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS

This section is referred to in sections 623, 625 of this

title.

§ 622. Liability for damage, destruction, or loss of

claim

Prospecting and exploration for and the development and utilization of mineral resources authorized in this chapter shall be entered into or

continued at the financial risk of the individual

party or parties undertaking such work: Provided, That the United States, its permittees and

licensees shall not be responsible or held liable

or incur any liability for the damage, destruction, or loss of any mining claim, mill site, facility installed or erected, income, or other property or investments resulting from the actual

use of such lands or portions thereof for power

development at any time where such power development is made by or under the authority of

the United States, except where such damage,

destruction, or loss results from the negligence

of the United States, its permittees and licensees.

(Aug. 11, 1955, ch. 797, §3, 69 Stat. 682.)

§ 623. Recording and reporting of unpatented

claims; time

The owner of any unpatented mining claim located on land described in section 621 of this

title shall file for record in the United States

district land office of the land district in which

the claim is situated (1) within one year after

August 11, 1955, as to any or all locations heretofore made, or within sixty days of location as

to locations hereafter made, a copy of the notice

of location of the claim; (2) within sixty days

after the expiration of any annual assessment

year, a statement as to the assessment work

done or improvements made during the previous

assessment year.

(Aug. 11, 1955, ch. 797, §4, 69 Stat. 683.)

SECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS

This section is referred to in section 621 of this title.

§ 624. Protection of existing valid claims

Nothing in this chapter contained shall be

construed to limit or restrict the rights of the

owner or owners of any valid mining claim located prior to the date of withdrawal or reservation: Provided, That nothing in this chapter

shall be construed to limit or restrict the rights

of the owner or owners of any mining claim who

are diligently working to make a discovery of

valuable minerals at the time any future withdrawal or reservation for power development is

made.

(Aug. 11, 1955, ch. 797, §5, 69 Stat. 683.)

§ 625. Prohibition of unspecified use

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this

chapter, all mining claims and mill sites or mineral rights located under the terms of this chapter or otherwise contained on the public lands as

described in section 621 of this title shall be used

only for the purposes specified in section 621 of

this title and no facility or activity shall be

erected or conducted thereon for other purposes.