H.R. 6674 — CLAIM Act of 2025

This section revises the hardrock mineral claim maintenance fee program (30 U.S.C. 28f et seq.) as follows: (1) replaces "Secretary of the Interior" with "Secretary" throughout; (2) in section 10101(a)—(A) establishes tiered annual fees per claim or site of $1,100 (if majority within a covered area, i.e., National Park System unit or Antiquities Act national monument), $1,000 (0-10 miles from boundary), $700 (10-20 miles), $500 (20-30 miles), or $300 (>30 miles) (from flat $100); (B) specifies that such fees are in lieu of assessment work requirements under the Mining Law of 1872 (30 U.S.C. 28 et seq.) and related filings under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1744(a), (c)); (C) exempts small miners from fees and assessment work; and (D) strikes subsection (d); (3) in section 10105(c), requires inflation adjustments to fees at least every five years (from unspecified prior schedule), with notice by July 1 and applicability the following calendar year; and (4) adds sections 10107 (authorizing user fees for administrative costs), 10108 (directing fees first to mining law administration, with excess allocated 40% to critical minerals supply chain program under Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act §40704(a) (30 U.S.C. 1245(a)), 20% to Tribal Historic Preservation Program, 20% to states by share of mining claims/sites, 10% to Land and Water Conservation Fund, and 10% to National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund), and 10109 (defining casual use, covered area, hardrock mineral [excluding leasable minerals and those restricted for Indian ownership/trust per Indian Mineral Development Act §2 (25 U.S.C. 2101)], and Indian).