Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 322 - Mineral Exploration and Development Act of 1993

(House Rules)
(Rahall (D) WV and 46 others)

The Administration strongly supports H.R. 322, as reported by the House Natural Resources Committee. This legislation meets all of the Administration's major objectives for Mining Law reform by ensuring that:

—      the system of patenting (selling) public land into private ownership is abolished;

—      taxpayers receive a reasonable return in royalties for the use of public lands;

—      an annual claim maintenance fee is imposed to curtail the speculative use of mining claims for non-mining purposes and assure diligent development of those claims;

—      public lands that have higher values for other uses are not open to mining; and

—      adequate standards are provided to govern mining operations and assure that reclamation occurs.

Pay-As-You-Go Scoring

H.R. 322 would affect receipts; therefore, it is subject to the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) requirement of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990.

OMB's preliminary PAYGO scoring estimates of this bill are presented in the table below. Final scoring of this legislation may deviate from these estimates. If H.R. 322 were enacted, final OMB scoring estimates would be published within 5 days of enactment, as required by OBRA. The cumulative effects of all enacted legislation on direct spending and receipts will be reported to Congress at the end of the congressional session, as required by OBRA.

PAY-AS-YOU-GO ESTIMATES
(dollars in millions)