Bill · S. 1464· Senate(119-S-1464)
Buffalo Tract Protection Act
- Introduced
- 4/10/2025
- Last activity
- 2/12/2026 — Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
- Sponsored by
- Martin Heinrich
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Buffalo Tract Protection Act aims to withdraw specific Bureau of Land Management land from mineral development. This land consists of approximately 4,288 acres described as "Tract A", "Tract B", "Tract C", and "Tract D" in the Placitas, New Mexico Area Map. The withdrawal applies to all forms of location, entry, and patent under mining laws. It also covers disposition under mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. While the mineral estate remains with the United States, the Secretary of the Interior may still convey the surface estate.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Protection of Land from Mineral Extraction: By withdrawing the land from location, entry, patent, and various leasing laws, the bill prevents certain types of mineral development on the 4,288 acres described in Section 2(a) and Section 2(b).
-
Retention of Mineral Rights by the United States: The bill ensures that any conveyance of the surface estate must include a reservation of the mineral estate to the United States, as stated in Section 2(c)(2).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Restrictions on Land Use: The withdrawal of the land from forms of location, entry, patent, and disposition under various leasing laws could limit specific types of land use or development, as outlined in Section 2(a).
- 2/12/2026
- Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.
- 4/10/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico