The Federal Laws amend individual legislative regulations concerning the geological study of mineral resources, procedures for determining regular payments for the use of mineral resources and regulate relations occurring as a result of the use and protection of minerals.
In accordance with one of the laws, mineral resource sites can be made available to users for geological study for a period of up to seven years, if the indicated mineral resource sites are fully or partially situated within the borders of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Kamchatka Territory, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Khabarovsk Territory, Irkutsk Region, Magadan Region, Sakhalin Region, Nenets Autonomous Area, Chukotka Autonomous Area, or Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area.
New rates are established for regular payments for the use of subsoil to find and assess mineral deposits.
These amendments also specify the powers of federal government agencies and regional government agencies of the Russian Federation in regulating subsoil use relations.