This bill withdraws federal land in the Rio Chama Watershed area of northern New Mexico from mineral exploration and mining under federal law. The withdrawal applies only to federally owned minerals and does not affect mineral rights held by Indian tribes or recognized Spanish and Mexican land grants in the region. The legislation preserves traditional and customary uses of common materials like stone, sand, gravel, and clay by local community members, land grant holders, and tribal members for domestic, cultural, religious, and agricultural purposes. The bill does not specify any direct federal funding requirements or implementation timeline beyond the immediate withdrawal of the specified lands from future mining claims.
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