The Mining Reform Clarity Act clarifies and expands rules for hardrock mining operations on federal lands. The bill allows mining companies to locate multiple mill sites, up to 5 acres each, on public land to handle waste rock and tailings disposal needed for their mining operations, though these mill sites do not convey mineral rights to the companies. The legislation also establishes the Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund, which will collect maintenance fees from new mill sites and dedicate those funds to cleaning up abandoned hardrock mines under existing federal programs. The bill includes safeguards stating that mill sites cannot be patented into private ownership and that the changes do not override existing environmental protections or limitations on mining in protected areas like wilderness lands and national parks.
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