S 544
Advanced toward a vote
Allows mining claim holders to locate multiple mill sites of up to 5 acres each on public land for waste disposal and related operations, and creates a separate Treasury account for abandoned hardrock mine cleanup funded by mill site claim maintenance fees.
Official title: Mining Regulatory Clarity Act
Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions
Senate
Introduced
12-FEB-2025
Referred
12-FEB-2025
Approved by committee
09-APR-2025
Reported
11-FEB-2026
On the calendar
11-FEB-2026
- Lets a claim holder locate as many mill sites as reasonably necessary for operations, with each single mill site capped at 5 acres.
- States that mill sites convey no mineral rights and cannot be patented, and do not change the validity of existing lode or placer claims.
- Keeps existing federal authority to regulate mining in withdrawn areas, including under the Endangered Species Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
- Establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund in the Treasury, funded by mill site maintenance fees and used only for abandoned mine cleanup under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Covers an older version. The newest CRS summary describes the bill as of "Introduced in Senate" (12-FEB-2025); the text has changed since (Reported to Senate, 11-FEB-2026).
CRS is the Library of Congress's nonpartisan research office. Read it on congress.govEnvironmental Protection
■ 3 R■ 1 D
3 Republicans
1 Democrat