House Approves Critical Minerals Bill That Will Streamline Permitting Process

On March 3, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved H.R. 755, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act, legislation that would create a new, unified “Critical Minerals and Materials List” to include the U.S. Geological Survey’s list of critical minerals and the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) critical materials list.

More specifically, the bill amends the Energy Act of 2020 to ensure that any critical material designated by the DOE is automatically classified as a critical mineral, as defined by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), reducing regulatory confusion and ensuring consistent federal recognition of key resources.

According to the bill’s sponsor, U.S. Representative Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), by standardizing how critical minerals are defined and recognized, the legislation will help streamline permitting, attract investment, and accelerate the development of domestic mining and processing projects vital to national security and economic growth.

“Securing domestic critical mineral supply chains will bolster our national security, create jobs in rural communities and unleash American innovation,” Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said in a press release. The United States relies on foreign imports of many of the materials on the lists, which have high risk of supply chain disruptions. The legislation’s alignment would bolster efforts to source and process these elements domestically.

The U.S. Senate has not yet considered the bill. Read more about H.R. 755 at this link.