Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025

Creates a new framework for mining locatable hardrock minerals on Federal land by defining key terms, imposing fees and royalties, tightening permitting and reclamation rules, and creating a dedicated Hardrock Minerals Reclamation Fund. It requires annual and one-time claim fees, a production royalty (generally 5–8% of gross income), operator-paid reclamation fees (1–3% of production value), financial assurance bonds, stronger permitting and inspection standards, and enforcement tools for noncompliance.

Direct effects include higher and recurring costs for claim holders and operators, new revenue directed into a federal reclamation fund for cleanup and reclamation starting in fiscal year 2026, and expanded oversight and recordkeeping by federal agencies, with transition rules for existing claims and a required study of uranium development.