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(1) "contiguous group of claims" means an area of

land in which a hardrock mineral deposit can be ex

plored for in an efficient, economical, and orderly

manner as a unit with due regard to conservation of the mineral deposit and other resources; a contiguous

group of claims may consist of one or more claims, and may include intervening or adjacent lands in which the United States does not own the mineral resources, but

all the lands in a contiguous group of claims must be under the effective control of a single operator, be able

to be developed and operated as a single operation, and be in reasonable proximity;

(2) "contiguous group of patents" means an area of land in which a mineral deposit can be developed in an efficient, economical, and orderly manner as a unit with due regard to conservation of the mineral deposit and other resources; a contiguous group of patents may

consist of one or more patents, and may include inter

vening or adjacent lands in which the United States does not own the mineral resources, but all the lands

in a contiguous group of patents must be under the effective control of a single operator, be able to be developed and operated as a single operation, and be in reasonable proximity;

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(3) "exploration" means to utilize methods and techniques which cause more than minimal disturbance

to the environment for the determination of the charac

teristics of a potential hardrock mineral deposit;

(4) "exploration plan" means a plan for the exploration of hardrock mineral deposits in the locatable lands and for the reclamation of such lands, approved

by the Secretary, or, for National Forest lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, pursuant to this Act;

(5) "hardrock minerals" means any mineral of a kind which on June 6, 1989, was subject to location

under the Mining Law of 1872;

(6) "land and resource management plans" means plans pursuant to the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974, as amended (16

U.S.C. 1604), and the Federal Land Policy and Man

agement Act of 1976, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1712);

(7) "locatable lands" means lands open to mineral entry pursuant to the Mining Law of 1872 as of date of enactment of this Act, with the exception of—

(A) lands recommended for wilderness designation by the surface managing agency;

(B) lands within Bureau of Land Manage

ment wilderness study areas;

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(C) lands designated by Congress as wilderness study areas, except where mineral entry

under the Mining Law of 1872 is specifically al

lowed to continue by the statute designating the

study area;

(D) lands within areas allocated for wilder

ness or further planning in Executive Communication 1504, Ninety-Sixth Congress (House Docu

ment numbered 96-11), unless such lands are allocated to uses other than wilderness by a land and resource management plan or have been re

leased to uses other than wilderness by an act of Congress; and

(E) lands withdrawn from mineral entry subsequent to the date of enactment of this Act pur

suant to withdrawal authority granted by the Fed

eral Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or any other Act. Any lands excluded from mineral entry pursuant to paragraphs (A) through (E) of this subsection for which there is a final determination that such lands not be designated as wilderness or for which a withdrawal is revoked may be open to mineral entry pursuant to this Act;

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(8) "mined area" means surface and subsurface of

2 locatable lands in which exploration, development, or

production pursuant to this Act are being or have been conducted, including ways and roads appurtenant to any such area, land excavations, refuse banks, tailing ponds, spoil banks, and areas in which structures, facilities, equipment, machines, tools, or other materials

or property which result from or are used in, mining operations;

(9) "minimal disturbance to the environment" means those activities which do not cause more than

minor, short-term alteration of the environment;

(10) "mining and reclamation plan" means a plan for the development and production of hardrock mineral deposits in the locatable Federal lands and for the reclamation of such lands, approved by the Secretary,

or, for National Forest lands, the Secretary of Agriculture, pursuant to this Act;

(11) "Mining Law of 1872" as used in this Act means the general mining laws of the United States

(30 U.S.C. 21-54), as amended and supplemented;

(12) "paying quantities" means that quantity of

hardrock minerals which would pay a profit, if the

mine were operated and the minerals marketed;

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(13) "person" means citizens, corporations organized under the laws of the United States, or of any

State or the District of Columbia, or governmental units, including, without limitation, municipalities;

(14) "prospecting" means the preliminary search for and identification of hardrock mineral resources

which causes only minimal disturbance to the environment; and

(15) "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior.

TITLE II-DISPOSITION OF MINERAL DEPOSITS

12 SEC. 201. PROSPECTING.

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Prospecting may be conducted on locatable lands sub14 ject to the rules and regulations of the Federal surface man15 aging agency. Any person proposing to engage in any pro16 specting activity shall notify the surface managing agency 17 prior to initiating any such activity.

18 SEC. 202. EXPLORATION CLAIMS.

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(a) All locatable lands shall be open for location of an 20 exploration claim pursuant to this section. The exploration 21 claim location shall conform with the United States system of 22 public land surveys, where possible, and shall be made in a 23 manner as prescribed by the Secretary. Mining claims shall 24 be twenty acres in size. The claimant may apply to the Sec25 retary or, for National Forest lands, the Secretary of Agricul