Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act.

The United States of America is one of the most richly blessed nations on Earth. We have an abundance of resources and expertise and are good stewards of both.

For far too long, we have let nations that despise us control our access to critical minerals that power our economy and our military. Right now, China refines over 90 percent of the world's critical minerals. They graduate 3,000 mining engineers a year, while the United States graduates between 160 and 300. That cannot continue to happen.

This bill does something that is very simple and overdue: It makes mining and mineral processing permanently eligible for streamlined Federal permitting. Endless red tape does not protect a single acre of ground. It only protects China's monopoly and smothers American innovation before it can break ground.

This bill does not gut environmental review. It clears out the paperwork maze so we can build responsibly and build fast.

Let's be honest about who does this work best. No workforce on Earth is treated better than the American miner. No nation mines and processes minerals cleaner than we do. We should be proud to do it and do more, not be ashamed and fall further behind our adversaries.

A real mining strategy cannot change every 4 years. H.R. 1501 puts that certainty into law so American workers and American companies can excavate, invest, and build with our workers knowing there is always going to be steady, well-paying jobs that will support their families.

We have the minerals. We are rebuilding our workforce. All we need now is a government that gets out of the way.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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