Domestic ORE Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill lets an operator begin certain mineral exploration on public lands after submitting a notice at least 15 days before work begins, if the activity disturbs no more than 25 acres, the notice contains required information, and financial assurance is adequate. The Secretary concerned has 15 days to either let the exploration proceed or identify missing information. The bill defines exploration activity, public land, operators, casual use, and the Interior or Agriculture Secretary responsible for the land.
Who Benefits and How
Mineral exploration operators and domestic mineral processors benefit from a faster, clearer path for sampling, drilling, drill roads, drill pads, trenching, test pits, geotechnical tests, and geophysical surveys when surface disturbance stays below 25 acres. BLM and Forest Service minerals offices benefit from a standardized notice completeness test instead of an open-ended review process for smaller exploration projects. Domestic supply chains may benefit if more prospects can be evaluated before commercial extraction decisions.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Operators must submit notice, supply required information, stay within the 25-acre disturbance ceiling, and provide financial assurance before proceeding. BLM public lands offices and Forest Service minerals offices must evaluate notices within 15 days and specify missing information if a filing is incomplete. Public land communities and environmental reviewers may face faster exploration timelines because the bill narrows agency discretion for covered notices that satisfy the statutory criteria.
Key Provisions
- Creates a 15-day notice process for mineral exploration disturbing no more than 25 acres of public land.
- Requires operators to submit information and financial assurance before exploration can proceed.
- Directs the Secretary concerned to allow work or identify missing information within 15 days.
- Defines exploration activity to include sampling, drilling, drill roads, pads, trenches, test pits, geotechnical tests, and geophysical surveys.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Creates a 15-day notice pathway for mineral exploration activities disturbing no more than 25 acres of public land, replacing slower approval friction with a completeness review and financial-assurance requirement.
Key Policy Areas
public_lands, mining, permitting
Primary Purpose
Creates a 15-day notice pathway for mineral exploration activities disturbing no more than 25 acres of public land, replacing slower approval friction with a completeness review and financial-assurance requirement.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Mineral exploration operators
- Domestic mineral processors
- BLM public lands offices
- Forest Service minerals offices
Identified Costs
- Mineral exploration operators
- BLM public lands offices
- Forest Service minerals offices
- Public land communities
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture.
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition …
Introduced in House
Ms. Hageman introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
BLM public lands offices, Forest Service minerals offices, Public land communities
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "agencies"
- → ['BLM public lands offices', 'Forest Service minerals offices']
- "regulated_parties"
- → ['Mineral exploration operators']
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology