The Conserving Lands and Areas Incompatible with Mining Act of 2025, or CLAIM Act of 2025, aims to update the hardrock mining claim maintenance fee structure established under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. This legislation significantly increases the annual maintenance fees for hardrock mining claims and sites, moving from a flat rate to a tiered system based on proximity to protected areas.

Specifically, claims located within a covered area, such as a National Park System unit or national monument, will incur the highest fee of $1,100. Fees decrease incrementally based on distance from these protected areas, ranging from $1,000 for claims within 10 miles to $300 for those more than 30 miles away. These maintenance fees will now serve in lieu of the traditional assessment work requirements under the Mining Law of 1872.

The bill introduces an exemption for small miners, defined as those holding a limited number of claims and acreage, with annual gross mineral production income below $50,000, and who only engage in "casual use" activities. The Secretary of the Interior is mandated to adjust these fees at least every five years to account for inflation, using the Consumer Price Index, and may also establish user fees to cover administrative costs.

Revenue generated from these maintenance fees will first be used to administer the nation's mining laws. Any excess funds will be strategically allocated to various programs, including:

40 percent to the abandoned mine land reclamation program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
20 percent to the Tribal Historic Preservation Program.
20 percent to States based on their proportion of mining claims.
10 percent to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
10 percent to the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund.