Corporate Responsibility Act of 1997

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: Corporate Tax and Other Provisions

Subtitle A: Tax Provisions

Subtitle B: Agricultural-Related Provisions

Subtitle C: Other Subsidies

Title II: Mineral Exploration and Development

Subtitle A: Mineral Exploration and Development

Subtitle B: Environmental Considerations of Mineral

Exploration and Development

Subtitle C: Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine

Reclamation Fund

Subtitle D: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions

Title III: Revenues Dedicated to Deficit Reduction

Corporate Responsibility Act of 1997 - Title I: Corporate Tax and Other Provisions - Subtitle A: Tax Provisions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the exclusion of certain income of foreign sales corporations; (2) repeal alcohol fuel incentives; and (3) revise rules concerning the source of income from the sale of inventory property.

Subtitle B: Agricultural-Related Provisions - Amends the Reclamation Project Act of 1939 to require the payment of the full cost for the delivery of water used for the production of surplus crops.

(Sec. 112) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to repeal: (1) title III (Export Enhancement Program); and (2) the market promotion program provisions.

(Sec. 114) Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal tobacco price supports.

Subtitle C: Other Subsidies - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to eliminate the Advanced Technology Program.

(Sec. 122) Amends the Tennessee Valley Authority Act of 1933 to declare that no appropriations are authorized to carry out the Act after September 30, 1997.

(Sec. 123) Amends the Act commonly known as the National Forest Roads and Trails Act to prohibit: (1) the provision of effective purchaser road credits; and (2) Federal funding for any forest road principally used for logging.

(Sec. 124) Prohibits the provision of Federal funds to, or for the benefit of, the International Monetary Fund, pursuant to the New Arrangements to Borrow of the International Monetary Fund.

Title II: Mineral Exploration and Development - Subtitle A: Mineral Exploration and Development - Mineral Exploration and Development Act of 1997 - Sets forth guidelines for mineral exploration on public domain lands. Declares that holders of mining claims located or converted and maintained under this Act have the exclusive right of possession and use of the claimed land for mineral activities.

(Sec. 205) Prescribes rules for mining claim location and use of public land surveys. Provides for administrative adjudication of conflicting claims. Mandates a specified location fee for every unpatented mining claim located after the date of enactment of this Act.

(Sec. 206) Subjects existing unpatented mining claims, mill sites, and tunnel sites to the provisions of this Act ("converted mining claims").

(Sec. 207) Sets forth certain annual claim maintenance fees. Mandates that all monies received from such fees be deposited into the Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund (established under this Act).

(Sec. 208) States that failure to comply with the requirements of this Act shall be deemed conclusively to constitute forfeiture of the mining claim.

(Sec. 209) Prescribes procedural guidelines for: (1) contesting a mining claim on the basis of discovery; and (2) demonstrating the continued sufficiency of a mining claim.

Subtitle B: Environmental Considerations of Mineral Exploration and Development - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, and for National Forest System lands the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretaries), to require that mineral activities on Federal lands be conducted in a manner that minimizes adverse impacts to the environment. Prescribes surface management guidelines for the granting of both an exploration and an operations permit. Requires applications for such permits to contain both an operations plan and a reclamation plan, and evidence of financial assurances. Limits an operations permit to a ten-year term (subject to renewal).

(Sec. 215) Declares persons in violation of this Act ineligible for permits. Sets as a prerequisite to the issuance of any permit evidence of financial assurance payable to the United States for all lands to be affected by the mineral activities described in the permit application.

(Sec. 217) Mandates that lands subject to mineral activities be restored to a condition capable of supporting their prior uses, or to other beneficial uses which conform to applicable land use plans. Sets forth reclamation standards applicable to mineral exploration.

(Sec. 218) Declares that State standards for reclamation, bonding, inspection, and water or air quality which either meet or exceed Federal standards shall not be construed as inconsistent with this Act. Permits cooperative agreements between the States and the Secretary. Prohibits the Secretary from delegating authorities or responsibilities conferred under this Act to any State or its political subdivision.

(Sec. 219) Requires the Secretaries, in preparing land use plans, to determine those areas deemed unsuitable for certain mineral activities. Requires withdrawal of such areas from mineral exploration and development.

Subtitle C: Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund - Establishes the Abandoned Locatable Minerals Mine Reclamation Fund (the Fund), to be administered by the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, for the reclamation and restoration of land and water resources adversely affected by past minerals activities on certain public lands.

(Sec. 233) Restricts reclamation expenditures to Federal or Indian land and water resources that traverse or are contiguous to Federal or Indian lands where such resources have been affected by past mineral activities.

Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 236) Subjects the production of locatable minerals (or mineral concentrates or products derived from locatable minerals) from any mining claim under this Act to a royalty scheme of eight percent of the net smelter return.

Subtitle D: Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions - Amends the Mining and Minerals Policy Act of 1970 and the National Materials and Minerals Policy Research and Development Act of 1980 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to implement minerals policy and actions to improve availability and analysis of mineral data in Federal land use decision making for National Forest System lands.

(Sec. 242) Authorizes the Secretaries to establish and collect user fees to reimburse the United States for expenses incurred in administering this Act.

(Sec. 243) Prescribes procedural guidelines for the publication of an application for an operations permit and the public participation requirements.

(Sec. 244) Instructs the Secretaries to: (1) inspect mineral activities to ensure compliance with surface management requirements; and (2) require all operators to maintain a monitoring and evaluation system to identify compliance with them. Authorizes citizen suits to enforce compliance.

(Sec. 246) Prescribes procedural guidelines for administrative and judicial review of agency actions.

(Sec. 247) Sets forth enforcement guidelines and civil and criminal penalties for non-compliance.

Provides transitional rules for: (1) new and preexisting claims; (2) claims that have not been converted; (3) contest proceedings; and (4) oil shale claims.

(Sec. 251) Adjusts the dollar amounts established under this Act according to a certain inflation formula.

(Sec. 255) Prohibits the issuance after January 4, 1995, of patents for vein, lode, placer, and mill site mining claims unless certain administrative requirements are met.

(Sec. 256) Declares that the Multiple Minerals Development Act, and certain other Federal law, apply to all mining claims located or converted under this Act.

(Sec. 257) Amends Federal law to subject all mineral materials deposits to disposal under the terms of the Materials Act of 1947 (eliminating the concept of uncommon varieties). Renames specified Federal law: (1) the Surface Resource Act of 1955; and (2) the Materials Act of 1947. Repeals the Building Stone Act and the Saline Placer Act.

(Sec. 258) Declares this Act applicable to Federal lands that are used for beneficiation or processing activities for any mineral regardless of Federal title to the mineral.

(Sec. 259) Requires recipients of funds under this Act to comply with the "Buy American Act."

(Sec. 260) Expresses the sense of the Congress that such funds should be used to purchase only American-made equipment and products.

(Sec. 261) Declares a person ineligible to receive any contract made with funds provided under this Act if the person has been judicially determined to have intentionally affixed a "Made in America" label to a product that is not U.S.-made.

(Sec. 263) Declares that court-awarded compensation for a Federal taking under the fifth amendment of the Constitution shall be paid from the Fund.

(Sec. 264) Directs the Secretary of the Interior to report annually to the Congress on the percentage of each mining claim held by a foreign firm.

Title III: Revenues Dedicated to Deficit Reduction - Prohibits any changes in revenues or direct spending resulting from the enactment of this Act from being counted for purposes of specified provisions of the Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.