Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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

This bill extends the streamlined, coordinated permitting process under FAST-41 to all mining and mineral processing projects and blocks a Biden-era proposal that would have narrowed eligibility and deepened our dependence on foreign adversaries for the minerals America needs.

Mr. Speaker, no State has more riding on this than Alaska. We are the fourth-largest mineral producer in the Nation, sitting on world-class deposits of rare earths, antimony, zinc, cobalt, and more. Yet, with over 60 percent of our State under Federal management, permitting timelines often extend for decades.

That kind of paralysis does not help Alaskans, and it doesn't help the rest of America. It only helps our adversaries. While Washington dithers and delays valuable projects, China floods markets, corners processing capability, and wields mineral exports as leverage against American industry and military readiness.

Alaska has the resources to help end our dependence on China for critical mineral production and processing.

H.R. 1501 doesn't ask agencies to skip environmental review. It asks them to run it once on a predictable timeline rather than dragging responsible projects through duplicative reviews and years of shifting requirements.

Alaska has shown time and again that resource development and environmental stewardship go hand in hand. Our Nation has the capability. What we have lacked is a Federal process that lets projects get built.

Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill. It strengthens our mineral supply chains, supports good-paying jobs in Alaska and across the country, and advances American resource independence. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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