Sponsors (2)
The bill safeguards extensive areas in the Ruby Mountains and Ruby Lake Refuge from new mineral leasing to protect recreation and habitat, at the trade-off of foreclosing potential mineral development, associated jobs and local revenue, and creating some legal uncertainty over retained existing rights.
Residents, visitors, and local communities gain protection for roughly 349,198 acres across the Ruby Mountains subdistrict and Ruby Lake Refuge from new mineral leasing, preserving recreation, scenic values, and large areas of habitat.
Wildlife, ecosystems, and conservation organizations benefit because the refuge ban on new mineral leasing supports habitat protection while still allowing noncommercial refuge management and conservation activities.
State and local governments and conservation planners gain faster, long-term protection because future federally acquired lands within the subdistrict and refuge boundaries are automatically withdrawn from mineral leasing upon acquisition.
Energy and mining companies — and the local economies that rely on them — lose the ability to obtain new mineral leases on about 349,198 acres, reducing opportunities for resource development, projects, and associated jobs.
Local governments and communities may forgo future tax revenue and royalties tied to mineral development on withdrawn lands, limiting local budgets and economic growth opportunities.
State and local authorities may face legal uncertainty and administrative costs because disputes could arise over the scope of 'valid existing rights' retained under the withdrawal, triggering litigation or contested agency decisions.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Withdraws ~309,272 acres in the Ruby Mountains NF and ~39,926.10 acres in Ruby Lake NWR from mineral leasing, with maps on file and acquisitions automatically withdrawn.
Official title: Withdraw the National Forest System land in the Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and the National Wildlife Refuge System land in Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Elko and White Pine Counties, Nevada, from operation under the mineral leasing laws.
Introduced April 8, 2025 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress April 8, 2025
Creates permanent mineral leasing withdrawals for large tracts of federal land in Nevada’s Ruby Mountains subdistrict of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and within the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge, subject to valid existing rights. Maps showing the withdrawn areas must be kept on file and available for public inspection, and any land the federal government acquires inside those boundaries after enactment is automatically withdrawn under the same terms. The withdrawals bar all forms of operation under the mineral leasing laws (i.e., new oil, gas, and other leasing) on the specified lands while preserving Fish and Wildlife Service noncommercial refuge management activities in the refuge area.