I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 978 
To rescind Public Land Order 7917, to reinstate mineral leases and permits 
in the Superior National Forest, to ensure timely review of Mine Plans 
of Operations, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 5, 2025 
Mr. STAUBER (for himself, Mr. FINSTAD, Mrs. FISCHBACH, Mr. FULCHER, 
Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. BEGICH, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. HUNT, Ms. MALOY, Ms. 
HAGEMAN, and Mr. GOSAR) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To rescind Public Land Order 7917, to reinstate mineral 
leases and permits in the Superior National Forest, to 
ensure timely review of Mine Plans of Operations, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Superior National For-
est Restoration Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LANDS IN 
MINNESOTA. 
(a) RESCISSION.—The order titled ‘‘Public Land 
Order No. 7917 for Withdrawal of Federal Lands; Cook, 
Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, MN’’, issued by the Bu-
reau of Land Management and dated January 31, 2023, 
is hereby rescinded. 
(b) TIMELY REVIEW.—The Secretary shall complete 
all necessary environmental and regulatory reviews, in-
cluding processes subject to the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), for all Mine 
Plans of Operations within the Superior National Forest 
lands in the State of Minnesota— 
(1) with respect to a Mine Plan of Operations 
submitted or resubmitted in the 10-year period be-
ginning on the date of the enactment of this section, 
not later than 18 months after the date on which 
such Mine Plan of Operations is submitted or resub-
mitted; and 
(2) with respect to a Mine Plan of Operations 
reviewed pursuant to this section, all necessary sup-
plemental environmental and regulatory reviews 
shall be reviewed by the Secretary not later than 6 
months after the date on which such supplemental 
Mine Plan of Operations is submitted, and all nec-
essary regulatory and environmental permits shall be 
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issued not later than 6 months after the Mine Plan 
of Operations is approved. 
(c) REISSUANCE OF MINERAL LEASES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall issue 
each mineral lease, preference right lease, and 
prospecting permit canceled by the Secretary relat-
ing to lands within Superior National Forest during 
the period beginning on January 31, 2021, and end-
ing on the date of the enactment of this section. 
Such mineral leases, preference right leases, and 
prospecting permits shall be reissued on the same 
terms as were in effect on the date of such cancella-
tions, except that— 
(A) prospecting permits shall be reissued 
with their original terms and conditions as es-
tablished upon initial issuance; and 
(B) all mineral leases and preference right 
leases shall be modified to— 
(i) an initial term of 20 years begin-
ning on the date of the enactment of this 
section; 
(ii) a nondiscretionary right to re-
newal for 5 subsequent 10-year terms; and 
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(iii) a right to make reasonable ad-
justments of the rental and royalty terms 
at renewal. 
(2) JUDICIAL
REVIEW.—A lease or permit 
issued under paragraph (1) is not subject to judicial 
review. 
(d) ISSUANCE
OF
NEW
PREFERENCE
RIGHT 
LEASES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, not later than 5 days after the date 
of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
grant preference right leases for any preference 
right lease applications that were rejected after Jan-
uary 31, 2021, and prior to the date of the enact-
ment of this section and have received a notice of 
preliminary valuable deposit determination. 
(2) LEASE
TERMS.—Such preference right 
leases shall be issued with terms consistent with sub-
section (c)(1). 
(e) PERMITS FOR USE OF SURFACE LANDS.—With 
respect to lands subject to a lease pursuant to subsection 
(d), the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Agriculture, may issue permits for the use of surface lands 
not included in the lease for purposes connected with, and 
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reasonably necessary to, the exploration, development, and 
use of the deposits covered by the lease. 
(f) SECRETARY DEFINED.—For the purposes of this 
section, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means— 
(1) the Secretary of the Interior; or 
(2) when used with respect to any unit of the 
National Forest System, the Secretary of Agri-
culture. 
Æ 
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