Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act

The Chama Basin Watershed Protection Act (H.R. 10054) bans standard federal mining activities on federal lands located within the designated Rio Chama Watershed area in New Mexico. It removes these lands from standard entry, location, and patenting under federal mining laws to prevent new federal mineral claims in the area.

* **Miners and mining companies:** Mining operations seeking to make new federal mining claims or acquire federal minerals in the designated Rio Chama Watershed area. * **Indian Tribes:** Federally recognized tribes with mineral rights or claims in the specified area. * **Qualified Land Grant-Mercedes:** Recognized New Mexico land grant communities (originating under Spanish or Mexican law) with traditional connections, boundaries, or mineral rights in or near the watershed. * **Local residents and acequia community members:** Individuals in the area who gather common natural materials for domestic, agricultural, or cultural purposes.

* **Federal Mining Restrictions:** The federal government would prohibit individuals and companies from filing new mining claims or purchasing federal land for mining inside the specified Rio Chama Watershed boundary in New Mexico. * **Customary Gathering:** Members of acequia communities, qualified land grant-mercedes, and local individuals retain permission to gather common raw materials—such as stone, sand, gravel, clay, adobe, and mineral earths—from these federal lands. These activities are authorized only for noncommercial, domestic, agricultural, subsistence, cultural, religious, or ceremonial uses, and must comply with existing federal laws and National Forest System management policies.

The provided summary details no specific government appropriations, funding allocations, taxes, fees, or spending programs associated with this bill.

* **Non-Federal Minerals:** The restrictions apply strictly to federally owned minerals. The bill does not restrict or alter mineral rights, titles, or claims held by, owned by, or held in trust for an Indian Tribe or a qualified land grant-merced. * **Noncommercial Use Limit:** The permission to collect common natural materials (sand, gravel, stone, clay, adobe) applies only to noncommercial uses and must follow standard National Forest rules and applicable federal laws.

This bill prevents new federal mining claims on public lands within New Mexico's Rio Chama Watershed, while explicitly preserving tribal mineral rights, land grant rights, and traditional, noncommercial gathering of local materials like sand, clay, and gravel.