They updated the bill today!
**Critical Mineral Dominance Act — Key Bullet Points**
* Directs the Department of the Interior to address U.S. mineral supply chain vulnerabilities
* Accelerates and expands hardrock mineral production on federal lands, including:
* National Forest System land
* Public lands
* Land eligible for mineral leasing
* Requires Interior to identify priority mining projects on federal lands that can be immediately approved
* Mandates Interior to take all necessary steps to expedite approval and development of those projects
* Requires identification of active, inactive, and proposed mining projects on federal lands that could:
* Increase production of hardrock minerals or byproducts
* Expand existing mines to recover additional mineral byproducts
* Produce hardrock minerals from mine tailings or coal byproducts
* Requires identification of federal lands with hardrock mineral potential, prioritizing areas that:
* Can be permitted and become operational most quickly
* Would have the greatest impact on strengthening the domestic mineral supply chain
* Directs Interior to:
* Suspend, revise, or rescind agency actions that place undue burdens on mining projects
* Recommend changes to federal law to expand U.S. hardrock mineral production
* Review state and local laws that impede domestic mining and mineral exploration
* Requires reporting on:
* The dollar value of U.S. reliance on imported mineral commodities
* The overall economic impact of that reliance
* Prioritizes accelerated geologic mapping to support mineral exploration and development
"This bill does very little to secure our critical mineral supply chains while setting up a regulatory system by, and for, the mining industry, which would endanger the environment and public health. Mining alone cannot secure our critical mineral supply chains because the United States lacks processing and manufacturing capabilities. Almost all American-mined minerals are shipped abroad for processing, mainly to China, and then enter the global market. This bill would prioritize the mining industry over environmental and public health protections. The current domestic mining regulatory framework leaves significant gaps in environmental and community protection and prioritizes mining projects over Tribal sovereignty. Mining waste generates toxic wastewater and other byproducts that pose significant risks to human health, wildlife, and the environment, necessitating careful, long-term monitoring and management. Reporting by Earthworks and Trout Unlimited found that modern mines operating under today’s regulations still pollute surrounding waters at alarming rates and pass on many of the cleanup costs to local taxpayers.1 Rather than addressing these risks to the public, this bill would allow industry to effectively determine which Interior and Forest Service regulations should be cut to maximize their profits. Because the mining industry does not pay a royalty for the public- owned minerals they extract—unlike oil, gas, or coal—there is no funding stream to address existing legacy mining pollution or the additional pollution a deregulated mining industry would create."