Buffalo Tract Protection Act

This bill would protect about 4,288 acres of federal land near Placitas, New Mexico, from new mining and drilling. It blocks new claims or leases for minerals, including geothermal, on four areas shown on a 2019 map as Tracts A–D. Existing valid rights are not affected. The land is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.

The government could still transfer or allow use of the surface for public purposes under existing laws, but the United States would keep ownership of the minerals below the surface.

• Who is affected: local communities near Placitas; companies seeking new mining or drilling; federal land managers.
• What changes: new mineral development is stopped; only the surface could be conveyed, and the minerals stay federally owned.
• Where: four tracts near Placitas, New Mexico, as shown on a November 13, 2019 map.