republic-os/legal/us/code/title-16/chapter-28/section-1280.md

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LegalText	16 U.S.C. § 1280	Federal mining and mineral leasing laws	us	united_states_code	code_section	16	CONSERVATION	28	WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS	1280	16 U.S.C. § 1280	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc16@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t16/s1280	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-16/usc16.xml	2e4d2defbad8f2840d50700c0ee38bafa6f01674216afd8a77e2ee09dc800a00	7be8950da5a93cac7c98e4576ce00340f2aba5e8e46d29915382c203c421d503	f01052551fa5e5cfd5ef915fbbb7f4beea1148a55de230bda8dbbff6881418c3	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

16 U.S.C. § 1280 - Federal mining and mineral leasing laws

Text

(a) Applicability to components of system Nothing in this chapter shall affect the applicability of the United States mining and mineral leasing laws within components of the national wild and scenic rivers system except that—

(i) all prospecting, mining operations, and other activities on mining claims which, in the case of a component of the system designated in section 1274 of this title, have not heretofore been perfected or which, in the case of a component hereafter designated pursuant to this chapter or any other Act of Congress, are not perfected before its inclusion in the system and all mining operations and other activities under a mineral lease, license, or permit issued or renewed after inclusion of a component in the system shall be subject to such regulations as the Secretary of the Interior or, in the case of national forest lands, the Secretary of Agriculture may prescribe to effectuate the purposes of this chapter;

(ii) subject to valid existing rights, the perfection of, or issuance of a patent to, any mining claim affecting lands within the system shall confer or convey a right or title only to the mineral deposits and such rights only to the use of the surface and the surface resources as are reasonably required to carrying on prospecting or mining operations and are consistent with such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Interior or, in the case of national forest lands, by the Secretary of Agriculture; and

(iii) subject to valid existing rights, the minerals in Federal lands which are part of the system and constitute the bed or bank or are situated within one-quarter mile of the bank of any river designated a wild river under this chapter or any subsequent Act are hereby withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the mining laws and from operation of the mineral leasing laws including, in both cases, amendments thereto.

Regulations issued pursuant to paragraphs (i) and (ii) of this subsection shall, among other things, provide safeguards against pollution of the river involved and unnecessary impairment of the scenery within the component in question.

(b) Withdrawal from appropriation of minerals in Federal river beds or bank areas; prospecting, leases, licenses, and permits The minerals in any Federal lands which constitute the bed or bank or are situated within one-quarter mile of the bank of any river which is listed in section 1276(a) of this title are hereby withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the mining laws during the periods specified in section 1278(b) of this title. Nothing contained in this subsection shall be construed to forbid prospecting or the issuance of leases, licenses, and permits under the mineral leasing laws subject to such conditions as the Secretary of the Interior and, in the case of national forest lands, the Secretary of Agriculture find appropriate to safeguard the area in the event it is subsequently included in the system. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this subsection or any other provision of this chapter, all public lands which constitute the bed or bank, or are within an area extending two miles from the bank of the river channel on both sides of the river segments referred to in paragraphs (77) through (88) of section 1276(a) of this title are hereby withdrawn subject to valid existing rights, from all forms of appropriation under the mining laws and from operation of the mineral leasing laws including, in both cases, amendments thereto, during the periods specified in section 1278(b) of this title.

(Pub. L. 90–542, § 9, Oct. 2, 1968, 82 Stat. 915; Pub. L. 96–487, title VI, § 606(b), Dec. 2, 1980, 94 Stat. 2416; Pub. L. 99–590, title V, § 507, Oct. 30, 1986, 100 Stat. 3336.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Amendments1986—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 99–590 substituted “issuance of leases” for “issuance or leases”. 1980—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 96–487 inserted provision withdrawing, subject to valid existing rights, all public lands which constitute the bed or bank, or are within an area extending two miles from the bank of the river channel or both sides of the river segments referred to in section 1276(a)(77) through (88) of this title, from all forms of appropriations under the mining laws and operation of the mineral leasing laws during the periods specified in section 1278(b) of this title.