# What This Bill Does

This bill protects about 3,055 acres of land in California's San Bernardino National Forest by blocking mining and mineral extraction activities on that land. The protected area includes roughly 2,775 acres of federal forest land and about 280 acres of private land that the government plans to acquire. Once this bill passes, mining companies won't be able to stake claims, dig for minerals, or extract resources like metals, gemstones, or geothermal energy from these protected areas.

The main reason for this protection is to save four endangered plant species that live in this forest. These plants share their habitat with valuable mineral deposits, which means mining operations could destroy the plants' homes. By withdrawing the land from mining, the bill ensures these threatened species have a safe place to survive without competing with mining interests. The Forest Service has been working on a strategy called the Carbonate Habitat Management Strategy to balance conservation with mining, and this bill is part of that effort.

The withdrawal takes effect immediately for the federal land once the bill becomes law. For the private land that the government doesn't yet own, the protection kicks in once the federal government actually purchases it. The bill does include an important exception: if someone already has valid mining rights or claims on this land before the bill passes, those existing rights are protected and can continue. This means the bill won't take away rights that mining companies or individuals already legally hold, but it prevents any new mining activity from starting in these areas going forward.

To withdraw certain land within the San Bernardino National Forest in California from location, entry, and patent under mining laws, and for other purposes.