Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup and Taxpayer Fairness Act

Bill: 113-hr-2467
Sponsor: Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-5]
Introduced: 2013-06-20 in the House
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Air quality
Business records
Civil actions and liability
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
General public lands matters
Government information and archives
Government trust funds
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Historical and cultural resources
Indian lands and resources rights
Inflation and prices
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Intergovernmental relations
Land use and conservation
Licensing and registrations
Mining
Monuments and memorials
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pest management
Pollution liability
Public participation and lobbying
Soil pollution
State and local government operations
User charges and fees
Water quality
Water use and supply
Watersheds
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2013-06-20
text: 
 Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup and Taxpayer Fairness Act - Mining Reform and Deficit Reduction Act of 2013 - Applies this Act to any mining claim, millsite claim, or tunnel site claim located under the general mining laws or used for beneficiation or mineral processing activities, regardless of whether legal and beneficial title to the mineral is held by the United States.
 
Subjects production of locatable minerals to a royalty of 12.5% of the gross income from mining.
 
Prescribes a hardrock mining claim maintenance fee for each unpatented mining claim, mill, or tunnel site on federally owned lands.
 
Prohibits the issuance of a patent for any mining or millsite claims whose application was filed after September 30, 1994.
 
Designates certain wilderness study areas, areas of critical environmental concern, and related areas as not open to location of mining claims.
 
Permits a state or local government or Indian tribe to petition the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) for withdrawal of specific federal land from operation of the general mining laws in order to protect specific values.
 
Instructs the Secretary to ensure that mineral activities on federal land subject to a claim are carefully controlled to prevent undue degradation of public lands and resources.
 
Prescribes requirements for the exploration permit process and for operations permits, including financial assurances.
 
Requires restoration of lands to a condition capable of supporting prior uses or other beneficial uses. 
 
Amends the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to initiate prompt actions to improve the availability and analysis of mineral data in public land use decision-making with respect to National Forest System lands.
 
Repeals the Building Stone Act and the Saline Placer Act.
 
Abandoned Mine Reclamation and Deficit Reduction Act of 2013 - Requires each operator of a hardrock mining operation to: (1) pay the Secretary a displaced material reclamation fee of 7 cents per ton of displaced material, and (2) submit a notarized statement of the amount of displaced materials produced during mineral activities during the previous calendar year.
 
Requires the Secretary to adjust such fees every five years to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) of the Department of Labor (or more frequently if the Secretary determines an adjustment to be reasonable).
 
Establishes the Abandoned Mine Cleanup Fund for: (1) deposit of such fees, and (2) use for grants to public entities for reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past mineral activities on certain federal lands.
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-06-27
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
action_date: 2013-06-20
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
action_date: 2013-06-20
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2013-06-20
text: Introduced in House