HR3872Passed House

MERICA Act of 2025

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Introduced
In Committee
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2025-06-10
Introduced
2
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Pat Fallon
Pat Fallon
Republican · TX · Representative
Votes with party: 97.3% (551 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/F000246

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (2)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

2026-02-12

Source: Congress.gov

Plain-English Summary

This bill specifies that all federally acquired lands are eligible to be considered for hardrock mineral leasing under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (MLAAL). The bill defines the term hardrock mineral to (1) include deposits of minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks, base metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, and precious and semi-precious gemstones; and (2) exclude deposits of coal, oil, oil shale, gas, sodium, potassium, sulfur, or mineral materials subject to disposition under the Materials Act of 1947. By way of background, hardrock minerals are not currently listed under the MLAAL as deposits subject to a lease, while mineral resources such as coal, phosphate, oil, gas, gilsonite, and sulfur are listed. As a result, federal lands may be leased for mining hardrock minerals only if the federal lands were acquired under a statute, such as the Weeks Act, that specifically authorizes the land to be used for hardrock mineral leasing.

Plain-English rewrite of the Congressional Research Service summary published on Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed.

Subjects

Energy
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Related legislation

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