# 119-hr-3872: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.

119-hr-3872, To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Fallon, Pat [R-TX-4] (R-TX); status passed_house (as of 2026-10-24).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3872
- As of: 2026-10-24
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3872
- Congress: 119
- Title: To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals.
- Status: passed_house
- Introduced: 2025-06-10
- Sponsor: Rep. Fallon, Pat [R-TX-4] (R-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Energy
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-24

## Summary

**Extends the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to cover hardrock minerals.** This bill would add a new, specific definition of “hardrock mineral” and fold those deposits into the Act’s leasing and disposition rules, explicitly bringing Alaska and other U.S. acquired lands into scope. - Mining companies and prospectors: Would gain a clear federal pathway to seek leases or dispositions for base metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, and gemstones on acquired lands under the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands. - Federal land managers and the Department of the Interior: Would adopt updated definitions and authority to regulate hardrock minerals on acquired lands and apply MLAAL processes to those resources. - Alaska and communities near acquired lands: Would see federal leasing and oversight explicitly extended to hardrock mineral deposits on acquired lands in Alaska as well as elsewhere. *The amendment is definitional and does not include new spending or funding directives in the text provided.*

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Moran, Nathaniel [R-TX-1] (R-TX), 2025-06-10T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harrigan, Pat [R-NC-10] (R-NC), 2025-06-24T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Leases for hardrock mining on acquired lands: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would add hardrock minerals to the federal leasing rules for acquired lands. Mining companies would be able to apply for leases to explore and develop these minerals on lands the United States owns, including in Alaska. Hardrock minerals would include base metals, precious meta…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act
- 119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3872 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3872)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-137: TCJA Permanency Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-137)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1181: Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1181)
- [119-hr-987: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-987)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3872 (as of 2026-10-24).