# 119-s-859: Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025 119-s-859, Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-859 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-859 - Congress: 119 - Title: Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025 - Status: in_committee - Introduced: 2025-03-05 - Sponsor: Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM) - Cosponsors: 10 - Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **Transforms how locatable mining claims are managed by creating annual maintenance and location fees and a dedicated reclamation fund.** This bill would set a national vocabulary for locatable minerals, limit new patenting to claims filed by September 30, 1994, and replace annual assessment work with fees. - Claim holders and operators would pay a $200 annual maintenance fee per unpatented claim and a $50 fee when a location notice is recorded, with CPI-based adjustments announced every five years and a waiver if a holder certifies no more than 10 claims and prior assessment work. - People who relinquish or let claims lapse would face new relocation limits for related parties, including a 10-year relocation prohibition, and claims remain subject to ongoing reclamation obligations even after forfeiture or relinquishment. - The Departments that manage Federal land would use fee receipts to cover the Act's administration, and any excess receipts would be deposited into a Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund to support reclamation. *This bill would be largely self-funded through fees, with receipts intended to cover administration costs and excess deposited into the Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund.* ## Cosponsors (10) - Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO] (D-CO), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] (I-VT), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2025-03-05T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - New permits, monitoring, and cleanup rules: cost, medium. This bill would require permits for mineral activities that disturb Federal land. Operators would need exploration and 30‑year operations permits, reclamation and hydrology plans, monitoring systems, and proof of a bond or other financial assurance before work. The Secretary would review assurance… - Tougher enforcement and joint liability: cost, medium. If enacted, the Secretary could issue notices and stop orders to force cleanup and stop dangerous mining. Notices usually give up to 90 days to fix problems; cessation orders take effect immediately for imminent danger. Civil fines can run up to $25,000 per day for the worst violations, and top cri… - Higher mining fees, royalties, and fund: cost, medium. If enacted, operators would pay new and higher mining fees and production charges. Claim holders would owe $200 per claim each year (first payment due by August 31, 2027) and new claims would pay a $50 location fee when recorded. Operators would also pay a reclamation fee of 1%–3% of production val… - Limits on mining patents and relocations: cost, low. The bill would bar new U.S. patents for mining claims unless a patent application was filed and all requirements met by September 30, 1994. If you qualify under that rule you could still seek a patent, but it could be withdrawn or invalidated. The bill would also stop a person or related party from… - More federal land protections and limits: mixed, medium. If enacted, Secretaries would review certain federal lands within 3 years and could remove tracts from the 1872 Mining Law. Removed land would be segregated from mining until a land‑use plan change is completed within 1 year. The bill would move some mineral material disposal to the Materials Act o… - Uranium study and court review rules: mixed, low. The bill would require the Secretary to arrange a National Academy of Sciences study of uranium development within 90 days and publish results within 18 months. The Secretary must report to Congress within 180 days after receiving the study. The bill would also make the D.C. Circuit the exclusive c… ## Related bills - 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026 - 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act - 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act - 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026 - 119-s-1503: Equality Act ## Sources - [119-s-859 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/859) ## Related - [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066) - [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990) - [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823) - [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51) - [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108) - [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-859 (as of 2026-09-10).