MERICA Act of 2026
S 3708 (MERICA Act of 2026) amends the Mineral Leasing Act to define "hardrock minerals" for federal land leasing. It specifically includes base metals, precious metals, industrial metals, and gemstones (like gold or copper), while excluding coal, oil, gas, and sulfur. This change directly affects mining companies seeking rights to extract these minerals on federal lands under existing leasing rules. The bill clarifies which minerals fall under the mineral leasing framework, streamlining administration without creating new programs.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Jan 28, 2026
Last action Jan 28, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
2
Key actions
0
Committee
1
Jan 28, 2026
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
upper
Jan 28, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Tom Cotton
RRepublican
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