Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the bill (H.R. 1501) to amend the FAST Act to include certain mineral production activities as a covered project, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. WESTERMAN. 1501.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025, which extends FAST-41 eligibility to mining and mineral processing projects.

I thank my colleague Representative Jefferson Shreve for introducing this important piece of legislation, which will bring much-needed efficiency and transparency to our domestic mining permitting process.

On average, it takes 19 years to bring a new mine into operation in the United States. Permitting delays drive up costs, halt economic growth, stifle innovation, and increase our reliance on foreign adversaries.

Since taking office, President Trump has moved swiftly to set America on a path to mineral dominance. President Trump's March 2025 Executive Order 14241 entitled: ``Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production'' identified mining as a priority for national security and directed the Permitting Council to publish additional mining projects to its FAST-41 dashboard.

Under this administration, the Permitting Council has published 60 additional mining projects on the FAST-41 dashboard. Mr. Speaker, 22 mining projects and counting have completed the Federal permitting process under the dashboard. I will say, yesterday that was 21. They just completed another project this morning.

This impressive record stands in stark contrast to the Biden administration, which over 4 years, did not complete a single Federal permitting process for a mining project through FAST-41.

Permitting efficiency is crucial to building critical infrastructure projects. Extending FAST-41 eligibility to mining projects would help meet our Nation's increased demand for energy and mineral resources, and it would provide greater certainty for the domestic mining industry.

It is not enough to just mine here at home. Our country also needs mineral processing capabilities to secure our domestic mineral supply chain. Crucially, this bill extends FAST-41 eligibility to both mining and mineral processing projects. We must have a comprehensive mineral strategy that engages and bolsters the entire supply chain. Developing domestic processing capabilities encourages the onshoring of industrial sectors and strengthens domestic supply chains from mining to manufacturing.

H.R. 1501 would also prohibit any future administration from finalizing or implementing the Biden-era proposed rule to narrow FAST- 41 coverage to only critical mineral mining projects. Narrowing FAST-41 eligibility in this manner would further increase our country's dependence on foreign nations and adversaries for mineral production.

The U.S. Geological Survey annually publishes the ``Mineral Commodity Summaries'' that provide astonishing data on our net import reliance of certain minerals. The report, which is illustrated behind me, highlights our Nation's overwhelming reliance on foreign sources of minerals, including from adversarial nations. If you look at this list, and I know the print is small, the major supplier for most of these critical minerals is China.

Mr. Speaker, we need these minerals to build a better future. We have the safest, most sophisticated, efficient, and environmentally friendly mining technology in the world, and we also have the workforce to match it. The United States should be leading the world's mineral supply chain.

Representative Shreve's legislation is an important step in strengthening domestic production, securing supply chains, and ensuring that America leads the way.

I thank Representative Shreve again for his work on this legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

I would say that my colleague just made the case for why we need this bill. As I have testified, the Trump administration has 60 projects on the dashboard. They have completed 22 projects. The previous administration completed zero projects under FAST-41. Both administrations had access to use the FAST-41 process, but some administrations choose not to use the process.

These mining projects now take an average of 19 years to permit. That is down from 29 to 30 years just a few years ago because we have seen projects permitted more quickly under this administration.

Our need for critical minerals and mining spans administrations. We need certainty in the process so that we can access the supplies of ore that we have here in the United States to meet our own demands. If we start playing political permitting ping-pong from one administration to the next, that gives no certainty to investors in America to use our own materials. That is exactly why we need to codify this, so that it gives everybody a fair shot to use the process.

Mr. Speaker, I will, again, point out no Tribal consultation and no environmental laws are waived. This is just a process to fast-track permitting.

Also, I point out that when the ranking member talked about any old sand or gravel mine, that sand and gravel--gravel and then sand are the two main ingredients in concrete with Portland cement being the third, which is another product that we rely on about 20 percent of imports.

Concrete is the main ingredient in housing and in public infrastructure. The cost of concrete affects the cost of housing and public infrastructure projects. It affects Americans. If we want to address high costs, we should be opening more of these sand and gravel mines and producing more Portland cement here so that we can have more supply and lower the costs here at home.
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Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letters of support from the American Exploration & Mining Association, Essential Minerals Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and National Mining Association. American Exploration & Mining Association, Spokane Valley, WA, August 31, 2026. Re Support for the Protecting Domestic Mining Act (H.R. 1501). Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries: The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) very much appreciated the opportunity to testify on February 24, 2026, before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, which codifies mining as a covered sector under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. We reiterate our strong support for the legislation and encourage House passage of H.R. 1501.

AEMA is a 131-year-old, 1,800-member national trade association representing the minerals industry with members residing in 46 U.S. states. AEMA is the recognized national voice for exploration, the junior mining sector, and maintaining access to public lands, and represents the entire mining life cycle, from exploration to reclamation and closure. More than 80 percent of our members are small businesses or individuals who work for small businesses.

AEMA members experience the challenges associated with the federal permitting process every day, and they are significantly impacted by permitting decisions from an array of federal agencies. They also live and play in the communities where they work. Mining in America is the most environmentally responsible mining industry in the world. Miner safety and workers' rights are the top priority, and our members take great pride in responsibly producing the minerals and metals America needs.

A mantra that is often repeated for many sectors of our economy, including mining, is the need for certainty. It is the uncertainty created by policies and debates over the past several decades that has caused mining investment to flee this country. To attract that investment, companies need to know what the rules are, that they can have the security of tenure needed to explore for and develop mining deposits, and that they can get through the permitting process in a reasonable timeframe.

As a Nation, we have acknowledged the urgency of increasing domestic mineral production, strengthening our supply chains, and reducing our reliance on foreign minerals. Because it often takes two or three decades to get from exploration to production, minimizing the land access and permitting obstacles that impede domestic exploration and mining is imperative.

Congress and the administration have been very clear that they want to see all types of mineral projects move more efficiently through the Federal permitting process so that they can be developed to meet our essential economic, energy, and national security needs. The predictability, transparency and certainty of the FAST-41 process encourages more mines to move through the process.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, our country's import dependence for key mineral commodities has skyrocketed over the past three decades, with the United States now 100 percent import reliant for 16 mineral commodities and greater than 50 percent import reliant for another 38 commodities. That import reliance exists even though we have significant mineral deposits of many of these commodities within our borders.

This mineral dependency comes with serious consequences. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Chinese dominance of minerals markets have laid bare the vulnerabilities that exist in critical U.S. supply chains, including our reliance on imported minerals.

While the United States was pursuing policies over the past several decades that discouraged mineral exploration and mine development, China was methodically making strategic global investments in mining, mineral processing, manufacturing products like battery components and batteries made from minerals, and educating mining professionals. Today, China dominates the world's mineral supplies and products, and the human resources required to mine and process minerals. Consequently, the United States now faces a minerals emergency that poses serious economic and national security threats.

FAST-41 was enacted to improve the timeliness, predictability, transparency, and accountability of the Federal environmental review and authorization processes for covered infrastructure projects. The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) voted to include mining as a covered sector in January 2020 and finalized a rulemaking confirming that decision in January 2021.

It is important to note that the streamlining of the mine- permitting process does not equate to reducing environmental protections. In fact, FAST-41 coverage does not predetermine or affect the outcome of any Federal decision-making process with respect to a covered project, nor modify any required environmental review or public or tribal consultation process.

Beyond mining, current FAST-41 sectors include renewable and conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource projects, broadband, pipelines, and manufacturing. It is important to remember that mining stands at the front of the supply chain for these and nearly every sector of our economy.

In fact, in its July 2024 critical minerals report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) illustrated that critical minerals are essential to five key sectors: aerospace, defense, energy, telecommunications and electronics, and transportation.

The Permitting Council's 2020 vote to include mining as a covered sector clearly recognized that mining projects almost always involve the complex permitting processes that FAST-41 was designed to facilitate. It is great that the Permitting Council voted to include mining in FAST-41 and followed that vote with a rule. However, that decision can easily be rescinded by a subsequent rule, as we saw with a proposal from the prior administration to limit mining's eligibility for FAST-41.

Enacting H.R. 1501 and codifying mining as a covered sector under FAST-41 will send a positive signal to the investment community that the United States is serious about increasing domestic mineral production. FAST-41 provides a pathway to reduce permitting inefficiencies while retaining our world- class environmental protections, and it must be available to the entire mineral mining sector.

We look forward to working constructively with Congress to ensure that Made in America includes ``mined in America,'' and sourcing minerals from U.S. mines that use state-of-the- art environmental protection measures, put a premium on worker health and safety, and are committed to the communities in which they operate. Sincerely, Mark Compton, Executive Director. ____ Essential Minerals Association, Arlington, VA, September 1, 2026. Hon. Bruce Westerman, Chairman, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC. Hon. Jared Huffman, Ranking Member, House Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Westerman and Ranking Member Huffman: The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) writes to express our strong support for H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025.

EMA is the representative voice of approximately 100 companies that extract, process, and support a vital and beneficial group of metal/nonmetal minerals that are crucial to the nation's economy and defense. Our members' minerals are essential building blocks for the agriculture, defense, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, and technology sectors, to name just a few.

Securing and strengthening our domestic mineral supply chains is vital to securing our national defense and economy, both now and into the future. Recent years have shown us the danger of relying on hostile foreign nations, such as China, for essential mineral resources that can be cut off at any time due to geopolitical or economic tensions. Maximizing domestic production and processing of mineral resources is the optimal strategy for addressing this dynamic and will also create many well-paying jobs for American workers.

To that end, Congress must act decisively to ensure that domestic mineral mining in the United States can thrive, and enacting H.R 1501 is a key step toward securing our domestic mineral supply chains. The bill would add mining and mineral processing to the categories of projects eligible for streamlined permitting and federal coordination under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST- 41). This would enable such projects to be included in the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC)'s permitting dashboard. As a result, mining and mineral processing operations would receive faster and more efficient permitting processes. This will enable American mineral operations to come online much faster, creating good-paying jobs and reducing U.S. dependence on adversarial nations for essential mineral resources.

H.R. 1501 would also prohibit the FPISC from implementing the proposed rule issued under the Biden Administration that would have limited FAST-41 eligibility for mineral projects to only those producing Critical Minerals as defined by the Energy Act of 2020. That rule was excessively narrow and would have denied expedited permitting to minerals that are essential for our national defense, economy, and daily life. Congress and the administration should seek to bolster all domestic mineral projects, not only those that meet the definition of Critical Minerals. The FPISC's draft rule was unnecessary and constrictive, and H.R. 1501 would prevent a future administration from issuing any similar rule.

Securing and fortifying our domestic mineral supply chains must remain a top priority for Congress and the administration to protect U.S. national and economic security. H.R. 1501 will further this goal and enable the United States to reduce our dependence on hostile foreign nations for essential mineral resources while creating jobs across the country for American workers. EMA urges Congress to pass the Protecting Domestic Mining Act and send it to President Trump for signature as soon as possible. Sincerely, Matthew Dermody, Associate Vice President, Government Affairs. ____ National Association of Manufacturers, Washington, DC, September 2, 2026. House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Representative: On behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers--the largest manufacturing trade association in the U.S., representing companies of all sizes, in every industrial sector, and in all 50 states--I write to express the NAM's support for H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, sponsored by Representative Jefferson Shreve (R- IN) and cosponsored by Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Morgan Griffith (R-VA), and recommend that the members of the House of Representatives vote YES to pass this critical legislation.

This bill would modify the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act to explicitly include mining activities and mineral processing as covered projects under the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council's (FPISC) existing frameworks.

Access to raw and processed critical minerals is fundamental to support a thriving manufacturing base in the U.S. Manufacturers use minerals and their derivatives to make the most technologically advanced industrial and consumer products in the world. Unfortunately, due to decades of underinvestment in our domestic mining and processing sectors, the U.S. is 100 percent import reliant for 13 mineral commodities included on the 2025 U.S. Geological Survey List of Critical Minerals--and more than 50 percent import reliant for an additional 20.

H.R. 1501 takes an important step to address this issue by providing mining and mineral processing access to FPISC's permit streamlining and transparency services, to which other critical energy and infrastructure sectors already have access. The reforms this bill makes will make it easier and more cost-efficient for companies to get shovels in the ground on job-creating projects--and, as a result, this bill will strengthen manufacturing in America.

The NAM therefore respectfully urges a YES vote for today's vote on H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. Sincerely, Christopher Phalen, Vice President, Domestic Policy. ____ National Mining Association, Washington, DC, August 31, 2026. Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jefferies: On behalf of the National Mining Association, I write in support of the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 (H.R. 1501) being considered on the House floor this week. This important legislation strengthens the bipartisan goal of promoting domestic energy and mineral development to meet our country's energy, economic and national security needs.

At a time when energy and mineral demand is soaring, we need reliable supply chains that deliver for our nation's economy now and into the future, To support these supply chains, we need the clarity and regulatory certainty the mining industry depends on to make generational investments. In support of these efforts, H.R, 1501 would codify mining as a covered project under the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) and ensure that the mining industry is eligible to receive all the permitting benefits given to other industry projects already covered under FPISC.

FPISC has a strong record of supporting a diverse cross- section of important infrastructure projects across our country while maintaining our nation's worldleading safety and environmental standards. By working with other federal agencies to ensure accountability and transparency in the federal permitting process, FPISC has helped deliver projects that provide for our nation's economic competitiveness long into the future. Ensuring that the mining industry has the same access to permitting certainty as other industries enjoy will only strengthen domestic development opportunities.

By working to address our nation's existing supply chain vulnerabilities, H.R. 1501 will enhance America's economic and strategic competitiveness. I urge your support for this important legislation as you work to improve domestic energy and mineral supply chain policies. Sincerely, Rich Nolan, President & CEO.

Mr. Speaker, I would note that Congress has already addressed this issue of foreign ownership through previous legislation, and it has passed well-considered restrictions on Chinese ownership.

The amendment that was offered would create an ambiguous standard that could inadvertently prevent non-Chinese publicly traded companies from mining domestically.

The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, already reviews foreign investments in American businesses to assess any national security risks.

Mr. Speaker, if you support our domestic supply of critical minerals, this bill provides the regulatory certainty necessary to strengthen domestic mineral supply chains. If you support weakening China's global control over minerals, then I would say join us in voting for the Protecting Domestic Mining Act.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, this administration has sent a clear message that we must support our domestic miners and processors.

This legislation isn't about our current administration. There is a bit of illogic in the minority's argument. On one hand, they say: Why do we need this legislation, because the administration already has the authority to do projects under FAST-41. They are exactly right, just as the Biden administration had authority to do projects under FAST-41.

Anything this administration has been doing to permit mining projects, they can still do, whether we pass this bill today or not. This is about the future of mining in our country. This is about giving people certainty that if they go through the process to build a project, they will be able to invest and get a return on that project to supply those critical minerals and other mined products that are important to our country.

It has also been said that the Permitting Council doesn't have the bandwidth to do more projects. The Permitting Council has testified that they are: ``well situated to bring in additional projects and continue to show that FAST-41 works for projects of all shapes and sizes.''

The bottom line is that supporting our mining industry is foundational to our economic and our national security. For the United States to reestablish American leadership in the mining sector, it is crucial that we pass this legislation to secure our mineral supply chains.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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