Description:
H.R. 3843 would require holders of certain mining claims on federal lands to pay fees to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to establish and maintain those claims. The bill also would authorize appropriations through 2022 to administer certain mining laws and to clean up land with inactive mines. In addition, the legislation would require BLM to transfer funds to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to study the effectiveness of certain permitting activities conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to the cleanup of abandoned mines. Finally, the bill would authorize the EPA to issue permits for the cleanup of pollution at inactive mine sites.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3843 would reduce direct spending by $319 million over the 2017-2022 period and increase revenues from civil penalties by an insignificant amount; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures apply. CBO also estimates that implementing the legislation would cost $261 million over the 2017-2021 period and $50 million after 2021, assuming appropriation of the authorized and necessary amounts.
CBO estimates that enacting the legislation would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2027.
H.R. 3843 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
