S. 1464: Buffalo Tract Protection Act

This bill, known as the Buffalo Tract Protection Act, aims to prevent mineral development on specific federal lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Here are the key components:

Withdrawals from Mineral Development

The bill proposes to withdraw approximately 4,288 acres of federal land from all forms of mining and mineral leasing. This means:

• Mining activities, including the location, entry, and patent under current mining laws will be prohibited.
• Any activities related to mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing on this land will also be banned.

Specific Areas Affected

The land affected is broken down into four parcels, referred to as Tract A, Tract B, Tract C, and Tract D, as depicted on a specific map from November 2019 related to the Placitas area in New Mexico.

Surface Estate Provisions

The bill also allows for the potential conveyance of the surface rights of this land under certain conditions:

• Any sale or transfer of the surface estate must comply with existing federal laws, specifically the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the Recreation and Public Purposes Act of 1926.
• Importantly, any conveyance of surface rights will require the United States to retain the mineral rights beneath the land.

Existing Rights

The bill specifies that it is subject to valid existing rights, meaning that if there are any rights already established before this legislation, those rights would not be affected by the withdrawal.

Summary

In summary, this legislation is focused on protecting certain federal lands from mineral exploration and development, while allowing the potential for the surface land to be transferred, with the stipulation that the federal government retains mineral rights. The purpose of this is likely oriented towards preserving the natural state of the land and managing it according to specific regulatory frameworks.

Relevant Companies

None found.