‘‘(6) EFFECT ON MINING CLAIMS.—The location 
of a mill site under this subsection shall not affect the 
validity of any lode or placer claim, or any rights as-
sociated with such a claim. 
‘‘(7) PATENTING.—A mill site under this section 
shall not be eligible for patenting. 
‘‘(8) SAVINGS PROVISIONS.—Nothing in this sub-
section— 
‘‘(A) diminishes any right (including a 
right of entry, use, or occupancy) of a claimant; 
‘‘(B) creates or increases any right (includ-
ing a right of exploration, entry, use, or occu-
pancy) of a claimant on land that is not open 
to location under the general mining laws; 
‘‘(C) modifies any provision of law or any 
prior administrative action withdrawing land 
from location or entry; 
‘‘(D) limits the right of the Federal Govern-
ment to regulate mining and mining-related ac-
tivities (including requiring claim validity ex-
aminations to establish the discovery of a valu-
able mineral deposit) in areas withdrawn from 
mining, including under— 
‘‘(i) the general mining laws; 
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‘‘(ii) the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(iii) the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 
1131 et seq.); 
‘‘(iv) sections 100731 through 100737 
of title 54, United States Code; 
‘‘(v) the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.); 
‘‘(vi) division A of subtitle III of title 
54, United States Code (commonly referred 
to as the ‘National Historic Preservation 
Act’); or 
‘‘(vii) section 4 of the Act of July 23, 
1955 (commonly known as the ‘Surface Re-
sources Act of 1955’) (69 Stat. 368, chapter 
375; 30 U.S.C. 612); 
‘‘(E) restores any right (including a right of 
entry, use, or occupancy, or right to conduct op-
erations) of a claimant that— 
‘‘(i) existed prior to the date on which 
the land was closed to, or withdrawn from, 
location under the general mining laws; and 
‘‘(ii) that has been extinguished by 
such closure or withdrawal; or 
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‘‘(F) modifies section 404 of division E of 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub-
lic Law 118–42).’’. 
(b) ABANDONED HARDROCK MINE FUND.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a separate account, 
to be known as the ‘‘Abandoned Hardrock Mine 
Fund’’ (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Fund’’). 
(2) SOURCE OF DEPOSITS.—Any amounts col-
lected by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the 
claim maintenance fee under section 10101(a)(1) of 
the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (30 
U.S.C. 28f(a)(1)) on mill sites located under sub-
section (c) of section 2337 of the Revised Statutes of 
the United States (30 U.S.C. 42) shall be deposited 
into the Fund. 
(3) USE.—The Secretary of the Interior may 
make expenditures from amounts available in the 
Fund, without further appropriations, only to carry 
out section 40704 of the Infrastructure Investment 
and Jobs Act (30 U.S.C. 1245). 
(4) ALLOCATION
OF
FUNDS.—Amounts made 
available under paragraph (3)— 
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(A) shall be allocated in accordance with 
section 40704(e)(1) of the Infrastructure Invest-
ment and Jobs Act (30 U.S.C. 1245(e)(1)); and 
(B) may be transferred in accordance with 
section 40704(e)(2) of that Act (30 U.S.C. 
1245(e)(2)). 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.—Section 10101 of the 
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (30 U.S.C. 28f) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘the Mining Law of 1872 (30 
U.S.C. 28–28e)’’ each place it appears and inserting 
‘‘sections 2319 through 2344 of the Revised Statutes 
of the United States (30 U.S.C. 22 et seq.)’’; 
(2) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) in the second sentence, by striking 
‘‘Such claim maintenance fee’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(B) FEE.—The claim maintenance fee 
under subparagraph (A)’’; and 
(ii) in the first sentence, by striking 
‘‘The holder of’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The holder of’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
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(i) in the second sentence, by striking 
‘‘Such claim maintenance fee’’ and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(B) FEE.—The claim maintenance fee 
under subparagraph (A)’’; and 
(ii) in the first sentence, by striking 
‘‘The holder of’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The holder of’’; and 
(3) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The 
location fee’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) FEE.—The location fee’’; and 
(B) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘The 
claim main tenance fee’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The claim maintenance fee’’. 
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