Title: Buffalo Tract Protection Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Buffalo Tract Protection Act
This bill withdraws specified Bureau of the Land Management (BLM) lands in Placitas, New Mexico, from all forms of mineral development under all laws pertaining to mineral leasing or mineral materials, including locatable minerals.
Nothing in this bill prohibits the disposal of the surface estate of such BLM lands under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 or the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.
Any disposal of the surface estate of the BLM lands shall be subject to the condition that the mineral estate of those lands shall remain under the ownership of the BLM, subject to the withdrawal under this bill.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 390 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 390

    To withdraw certain Bureau of Land Management land from mineral 
                              development.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 15, 2017

Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Mr. Udall) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To withdraw certain Bureau of Land Management land from mineral 
                              development.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Buffalo Tract Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. WITHDRAWAL.

    (a) In General.--Subject to valid existing rights, the Bureau of 
Land Management land described in subsection (b) is withdrawn from all 
forms of mineral development under all laws pertaining to mineral 
leasing or mineral materials, including locatable minerals.
    (b) BLM Land Described.--The Bureau of Land Management land 
referred to in subsection (a) is the land identified as ``Tract A'', 
``Tract B'', ``Tract C'', and ``Tract D'' on the map entitled 
``Placitas, New Mexico Area Map'' and dated March 11, 2016.
    (c) Disposal of Surface Estate.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), nothing in this 
        section prohibits the disposal of the surface estate of the 
        Bureau of Land Management land described in subsection (b) 
        under--
                    (A) the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
                1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.); or
                    (B) the Act of June 14, 1926 (commonly known as the 
                ``Recreation and Public Purposes Act'') (43 U.S.C. 869 
                et seq.).
            (2) Ownership of mineral estate.--Any disposal of the 
        surface estate of the Bureau of Land Management land described 
        in subsection (b) shall be subject to the condition that the 
        mineral estate of that land shall remain under the ownership of 
        the Bureau of Land Management, subject to the withdrawal 
        described in subsection (a).
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