S. 3708

119 S3708 IS: Mineral Extraction for Renewable Industry and Critical Applications Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-01-28
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 3708  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   January 28, 2026   Mr. Cotton  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Energy and Natural Resources    A BILL
To amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to make that Act applicable to hardrock minerals, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Mineral Extraction for Renewable Industry and Critical Applications Act of 2026   or the   MERICA Act of 2026  .
2.
Application of Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands to hardrock minerals
The Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands is amended—
(1)
in section 2 ( 30 U.S.C. 351 )—
(A)
in the sixth sentence, by striking  The term  and all that follows through  embrace  and inserting the following:
(5)
Oil
The term  oil  means
 ;
(B)
in the fifth sentence, by striking   Lease   and inserting the following:
(3)
Lease
The term  lease
 ;
(C)
by striking the fourth sentence and inserting the following:
(4)
Mineral leasing laws
The term  mineral leasing laws  means—
(A)
the Mineral Leasing Act ( 30 U.S.C. 181 et seq. );
(B)
the Act of April 17, 1926 (44 Stat. 301, chapter 158;  30 U.S.C. 271 et seq. );
(C)
the Act of February 7, 1927 (44 Stat. 1057, chapter 66;  30 U.S.C. 281 et seq. ); and
(D)
all Acts amendatory or supplementary to any of the Acts described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
 ;
(D)
in the third sentence, by striking   Secretary   and inserting the following:
(6)
Secretary
The term  Secretary
 ;
(E)
in the second sentence—
(i)
by striking  (36 Stat.  and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting  (commonly known as the  Weeks Law ) (36 Stat. 961, chapter 186;  16 U.S.C. 552 et seq. ). ; and
(ii)
by striking   Acquired lands  or  lands acquired by the United States  include  and inserting the following:
(1)
Acquired lands; lands acquired by the United States
The terms  acquired lands  and  lands acquired by the United States  mean
 ;
(F)
in the first sentence, by striking  As used in this Act  United States   and inserting the following: “In this Act:
(7)
United States
The term  United States
 ;
(G)
by moving the paragraphs so as to appear in numerical order; and
(H)
by inserting after paragraph (1) (as so designated) the following:
(2)
Hardrock mineral
(A)
In general
The term  hardrock mineral  includes deposits of—
(i)
minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks;
(ii)
base metals;
(iii)
precious metals;
(iv)
industrial metals; and
(v)
precious and semi-precious gemstones.
(B)
Exclusions
The term  hardrock mineral  does not include deposits of—
(i)
coal;
(ii)
oil;
(iii)
oil shale;
(iv)
gas;
(v)
sodium;
(vi)
potassium;
(vii)
sulfur; or
(viii)
mineral materials subject to disposition under the Act of July 31, 1947 (commonly known as the  Materials Act of 1947 ) (61 Stat. 681, chapter 406;  30 U.S.C. 601 et seq. ).
 ; and
(2)
in section 3 ( 30 U.S.C. 352 ), in the first sentence, by striking  and sulfur  and inserting  sulfur, and hardrock minerals .