H.R. 978 — Superior National Forest Restoration Act of 2025

This section rescinds Public Land Order No. 7917, issued by the Bureau of Land Management on January 31, 2023, which withdrew federal lands in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota. It directs the Secretary to complete all necessary environmental and regulatory reviews, including under the National Environmental Policy Act, for Mine Plans of Operations within Superior National Forest lands in Minnesota—(1) within 18 months for plans submitted or resubmitted within 10 years of enactment; and (2) within 6 months for supplemental reviews, with all necessary permits issued within 6 months after approval of the plan. This section requires the Secretary to reissue each mineral lease, preference right lease, and prospecting permit canceled for lands within the Superior National Forest between January 31, 2021, and enactment, on the same terms as before cancellation except that such leases are modified to an initial 20-year term from enactment, a nondiscretionary right to renewal for five subsequent 10-year terms, and a right to reasonable rental and royalty adjustments at renewal (prospecting permits retain original terms); reissuances are not subject to judicial review. It further requires the Secretary, within 5 days of enactment, to issue preference right leases for applications rejected after January 31, 2021, that received a preliminary valuable deposit determination, with terms consistent with the reissuance requirements. The section authorizes the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, to issue permits for surface land use reasonably necessary for exploration, development, and use of deposits under such leases and defines "Secretary" as the Secretary of the Interior or, for National Forest System lands, the Secretary of Agriculture.