Buffalo Tract Protection Act

The Buffalo Tract Protection Act proposes to withdraw approximately 4,288 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land from future mineral development. This land, specifically identified as Tracts A, B, C, and D on the "Placitas, New Mexico Area Map," would be protected from new mining claims, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing, subject to valid existing rights. The legislation aims to prevent the extraction of minerals from these designated areas. Furthermore, it permits the Secretary of the Interior to convey the surface estate of these lands under existing federal laws, such as the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 or the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. However, any such conveyance would explicitly require the reservation of the mineral estate to the United States , ensuring that the mineral rights remain federally controlled and are not subject to development.