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Congressional Daily Record
This section captures a floor statement or debate entry. It mentions legislation such as Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1501) to amend the FAST Act to include certain mineral production activities as a covered project, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 9436) to amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective; providing for consideration of the resolution (H. Res. 1490) providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 4795) to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit an institution that participates in a nonexpressive commercial boycott of Israel from being eligible for certain funds under that Act, to require an institution that participates in certain programs under that Act to certify that students are not unreasonably obstructed from participating in academic programs in Israel, and for other purposes; and relating to consideration of motions to suspend the rules., committees such as Committee on Natural Resources, members such as Bruce Westerman.
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue context## Quick facts - **Record:** House Floor - **Section type:** Floor speeches - **Chamber:** House - **Date:** September 2, 2026 - **Congress:** 119th Congress - **Why this source matters:** This section came from the House floor portion of the record. ## Linked context - **People mentioned:** [Westerman, Bruce](/members/W000821), [Huffman, Jared](/members/H001068), [Shreve, Jefferson](/members/S001229) - **Bills and resolutions:** [H.Res. 1499 \(119th Congress\)](/legislation/hres1499-119), [H.R. 1501 \(119th Congress\)](/legislation/hr1501-119) - **Committees:** [Committee on Natural Resources](/committees/hsii00), [Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party](/committees/hlzs00) ## Readable version of the official text 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1499, the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Natural Resources printed in the bill is adopted, and the bill, as amended, is considered read. The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows: H.R. 1501 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025”. SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF COVERED PROJECT. Section 41001\(6\)\(A\) of the FAST Act \(42 U.S.C. 4370m\(6\)\(A\)\) is amended by inserting “mining, mineral processing,” before “or any other sector”. SEC. 3. PROHIBITION AGAINST FINALIZING, IMPLEMENTING, OR ENFORCING PROPOSED RULE RELATED TO SCOPE OF MINING UNDER FAST ACT. The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council may not finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the proposed rule titled “Revising Scope of the Mining Sector of Projects That Are Eligible for Coverage Under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act” \(88 Fed. Reg. 65350; September 22, 2023\). The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by the chair and the ranking minority member of the Committee on Natural Resources or their respective designees. The gentleman from Arkansas \(Mr. Westerman\) and the gentleman from California \(Mr. Huffman\) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arkansas \(Mr. Westerman\). General Leave Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1501. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Arkansas? There was no objection. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. It is our third day back from a 5-week recess. We have 15 days left here in Washington before the election. It should be a time that we are trying to get some real work done, but instead of doing that, instead of doing a single thing to help our constituents who are struggling under skyrocketing costs of groceries, gas, and electricity bills, Republicans are scraping the bottom of the barrel to come up with any bill that their chaotic Conference can find a way to pass, and one of the surest ways, it seems, is to find a way to do another favor for the President's friends and for foreign-owned mining conglomerates. ### We could actually use some responsible, balanced mineral policy in this country to meet our needs, but, of course, that is not what we are here to do today. ### We could all agree that we have been overreliant on adversaries for critical minerals for too long. As demand for these minerals grows, we should also want to strengthen our domestic and allied supply chains strategically with American security, sustainability, and human rights at the center of those efforts. ### Unfortunately, this administration seems to have a different approach. They are throwing billions of taxpayers' dollars at the projects that only seem to benefit themselves. There is a lot of money flying right now in the name of strengthening the mineral supply chain, but when you look beneath the surface, it is going to projects that will not actually help the American people. ### We have seen this administration make major investments and backroom deals with mining projects with no transparency about who benefits, about what the national security rationale is, or how these decisions actually reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries. Who is actually benefiting? The President's sons, Secretary Lutnick's sons, and campaign donors are all profiting off their personal investments and business ventures. Democrats are asking questions. Unfortunately, we are not getting any help from our friends across the aisle. We are getting stonewalled. ### Handing out favors to industry and boosting your children's stock - portfolios is not a mineral strategy that helps the American people. Now this brings us to H.R. 1501. This bill would codify mining and mineral processing as covered sectors under FAST-41. FAST-41, of course, creates an alternative permitting pathway for covered infrastructure projects. It covers 18 specific sectors, including energy production, surface transportation, semiconductors, and more. ### The FAST-41 permitting process includes some positive transparency provisions like a centralized public platform that tracks Federal permitting timelines and milestones. Covered projects can also receive additional coordination and resources to help agencies move them through the process more efficiently. It also places some limits on public input, including for Tribes. It also limits judicial review, and it includes limits on court-ordered protections. Here is the thing, Mr. Speaker: We have just heard the main rationale for this bill, that we have to make sure critical minerals mining projects and the processing projects for those critical minerals are eligible for FAST-41. They made it sound as if today's bill would finally make that possible. Well, I have a news flash for everyone. Mining is already a covered sector under a regulation adopted during the first Trump administration. Mineral processing projects are also allowed on FAST-41 as manufacturing, so we have an advertised solution here to a problem that does not exist. \{time\} 1350 What is this bill all about? That is the other half of the bill, the part that would potentially tie the hands of this and future administrations from using FAST-41 in a smart and targeted way that would focus on actual critical minerals projects that were in our national interest, that were all about our national competitiveness. I will explain. The Permitting Council, which implements FAST-41, has limited resources. Its job is to provide additional coordination and attention to projects that meet the statutory requirements of FAST-41 coverage. Under this bill, every single mining project could be eligible for that treatment, regardless of whether it advances our national interests, our strategic mineral needs, et cetera. FAST-41 Permitting Council is required to put all eligible projects forward even though they have limited resources. ### The Biden administration began considering a regulatory change to limit coverage to just critical minerals. That is what this bill is all about. H.R. 1501 would block that change from ever taking effect. That regulation was not finalized. It is not being implemented, but this bill would preemptively block anything like that from ever taking effect. ### Under this bill, a gold mine with no connection to our national security could receive FAST-41 treatment. The same would apply to a mine controlled by a foreign adversary or a mine that plans to ship its minerals straight to China for processing, with no benefit to the American supply chain. ### Under this bill, the Permitting Council would be required to devote precious time and resources to expedite these projects, to the detriment of real critical minerals projects, and it may prevent a future administration from ever narrowing the scope. How does that make America more secure? The answer is it doesn't. Democrats have offered straightforward solutions. We have proposed targeted FAST-41 coverage for projects involving critical minerals, projects that actually strengthen key supply chains essential to our national security and our economic resilience. ### We also proposed preventing companies owned or controlled by our foreign adversaries from receiving this fast-track status. These amendments were rejected by Republicans in committee and blocked from consideration on the floor here today. This should not be a partisan issue. We have the opportunity to build a mineral supply chain that is secure, resilient, and independent of our foreign adversaries. To achieve that, we should be making strategic investments, not handing out blanket favors. Mr. Speaker, I oppose this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. ### 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 yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana \(Mr. - Shreve\), the lead sponsor of this legislation. Mr. SHREVE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the House's consideration of my bill, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. The purpose is straightforward: Qualified American mining and mineral processing projects should have access to a coordinated, transparent, and timely Federal permitting process. That is what FAST-41 provides. It brings Federal agencies together. It establishes a public timetable, and it holds the government accountable for reaching decisions. No environmental law is waived. No project is rubber-stamped. FAST-41 simply ensures that our Federal Government conducts its reviews efficiently and reaches a decision. Mining was added as an eligible FAST-41 sector back in 2021. It was the right decision. In my home State of Indiana, we build things. We build cars, engines, aerospace systems, defense equipment, and the infrastructure that powers communities. ### All of these depend upon reliable access to minerals and processed materials. Copper carries electricity. Iron ore and other inputs become the steel used in our vehicles, bridges, and buildings. Critical minerals support our military and advanced-manufacturing base, in Indiana and across our country. ### Yet in 2023, the Biden administration proposed narrowing the mining projects eligible for FAST-41. Under that proposed rule, a company could invest millions of dollars developing an American project, only to learn that a shifting Federal definition had made it ineligible for that coordinated review. It creates uncertainty, discourages investment, and pushes mining and mineral processing abroad, often to supply chains dominated by China. ### We should not make the United States more dependent upon a strategic competitor for minerals essential to our economy and our national security. My bill does two things. First, it writes mining and mineral processing directly into the FAST-41 statute. Second, it prevents implementation of the 2023 proposed rule that would narrow the sector's eligibility. America can maintain high environmental standards and still build. We can conduct thorough reviews without accepting needless delays, and we can produce more of the materials we need here at home, under American laws, with American workers, and in support of American national security. ### I thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership and Congressman Blake - Moore for partnering with me on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. ### The chairman has touted the number of projects added to FAST-41 under the Trump administration. Therein lies the problem. Many of those projects are not critical minerals. ### The Permitting Council only has so much budget, only so many resources in order to administer this FAST-41 process. When you throw the door wide open to any old sand, gravel, gold mining project, when you invite in projects that might just have investments from the President's sons or Secretary Lutnick's family or your Mar-a-Lago oligarch pals, when the door is widened in that way and there is no new resources for the Permitting Council, then actual critical minerals projects and projects that are actually important to our competitiveness and our national security suffer. They go more slowly. They get less attention. The Chair is actually making our point. We need to allow prioritization and focus so that this FAST-41 process can actually work as it was intended to work. - Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona \(Mrs. - Grijalva\). Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. ### At a time when we should be strengthening environmental protections, respecting Tribal sovereignty, and ensuring communities have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their land and water, this bill moves us in the wrong direction. ### I offered an amendment that would have required robust, meaningful, and enforceable consultation with potentially impacted Tribal nations before a mining project may be eligible for expedited permitting under FAST-41. ### Unfortunately, the Rules Committee refused to make my amendment in order, denying this body the opportunity to even debate or vote on a very basic principle: Tribal nations deserve a meaningful seat at the table when mining projects threaten their lands, resources, and communities. \{time\} 1400 ### My amendment would have ensured that Federal agencies uphold the United States' trust and treaty obligations by engaging in intentional and substantive consultation with Tribal Governments. It would have made clear that consultation is not a procedural checkbox but a meaningful government-to-government dialogue. It would have also ensured that no mining project could receive expedited permitting treatment unless the affected Tribal nations had been engaged from the earliest possible stages of the project's development. ### This issue has become increasingly relevant in my district with the Hermosa Project in the Patagonia Mountains, southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Its designation as the first critical minerals project under FAST-41 highlights the growing use of expedited permitting frameworks. While FAST-41 is intended to improve efficiency, mining is among the most environmentally consequential sectors it covers. Expedited timelines must not come at the expense of meaningful public participation or environmental assessment. ### We have already seen the consequences of insufficient engagement and analysis. The town of Patagonia formally requested a comprehensive groundwater study of the Patagonia mountains from the Coronado National Forest in both 2020 and 2021, specifically citing concerns related to the proposed Hermosa project. Despite these repeated requests, and the support of my dad, Congressman Raul M. Grijalva, the study was never completed. For that exact reason, I sent a letter to the U.S. Forest Service in April to follow up on this same request. This gap leaves significant uncertainty about potential impacts to groundwater and undermines public confidence in the adequacy of the review process. I also think it is noteworthy that I kept hearing: American project, American project. This specific project is run by an Australian mining company. ### When I met with local leaders and community members in Patagonia, they raised serious concerns about their drinking water, their health, and the long-term sustainability of their aquifers. Those concerns are not abstract. They reflect lived experience and legitimate questions that deserve answers before, not after, decisions are made. ### What these experiences make clear is that the communities closest to these projects cannot be left to react once decisions are already in motion. They must be engaged from the very beginning, with their voices meaningfully incorporated into decisionmaking. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Arizona. Mrs. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, my amendment does not slow progress. It strengthens it. By ensuring Tribal nations and impacted communities have a real seat at the table, we produce more informed and more mindful policy outcomes. Respecting Tribal sovereignty and listening to affected communities is not optional. It is a fundamental obligation. For those reasons, Mr. Speaker, I oppose H.R. 1501, and urge my colleagues to do the same. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota \(Mr. Stauber\), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources. Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, which will ensure domestic mining projects are able to enjoy the benefits of title 41 of the bipartisan and wildly successful FAST Act. ### I thank my colleague Representative Shreve for his leadership in - bringing this legislation forward. ### The FAST Act has been used to permit and build countless projects that are necessary for our country's national and economic security, and under the Trump administration, mining projects have been eligible and have advanced. ### By codifying mining and mineral processing projects, we will ensure that these important projects are able to enjoy this benefit, no matter if we have a pro-mining President like President Trump in office or an anti-mining President like President Biden in office. ### My district in northern Minnesota is home to proposed projects like the NewRange Copper Nickel project, which is enjoying the benefits of FAST-41 as a transparency list project as they pursue their section 404 permit under the Clean Water Act, a permit that was pulled by the previous administration for purely political reasons. ### Thanks to FAST-41, I am confident NewRange won't fall through the cracks and will be granted their permit when they meet and exceed all our strict environmental standards. ### This is a great benefit more for not only northern Minnesota but a benefit for our entire Nation and our strategic mineral national security. ### By codifying mining and mineral processing projects' eligibility into law, NewRange and other important projects won't have to worry about the rug being pulled out from them again the next time we see a change in administrations. ### It will further give a strong signal to the private sector that the Federal Government is committed to securing our mineral security and mineral independence, no matter who is in the White House. Representative Shreve's legislation will send a strong signal: We are ready to mine here in the United States once again. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a little blinding flash of the obvious: When it comes to sand and gravel, we are not dependent on China or any other foreign adversary or any other foreign country. We have a lot of sand and gravel in this country. This is not about critical minerals. This is not about our competitiveness. It is about sand and gravel which we can mine, as we always have. It is not what FAST-41 was intended to do or intended to benefit. But you just heard it right here on the floor in this debate, Mr. Speaker, that my colleagues on the one hand are selling this bill as urgent to meet our competitive situation with China. On the other hand, they are opening FAST-41 wide open to anything that can be pulled from the ground including sand and gravel. It just makes no sense whatsoever. - Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon \(Ms. - Hoyle\). Ms. HOYLE of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this bill. ### This administration's corruption playbook is impacting industries across the board and raising costs for working families like the ones I represent. Their next target is the mining industry. ### Representative Grijalva offered an amendment that would require the Secretary to ensure there is meaningful and robust Tribal consultation for any mining project to be eligible to be covered under FAST-41. This amendment was not accepted. ### I represent four of Oregon's nine Tribal nations and one-third of the members of two others. Tribal consultation is critical to my district and to our State. ### We tried to make this bill better and protect Tribal consultation, but Republicans voted against it. Too often, essential Tribal consultation and community engagement are treated as a box-checking exercise. Consultation is a process, not an event, and it is our trust responsibility to ensure this happens. ### Tribes deserve a real say in mining projects that could forever alter - and destroy the lands they have stewarded since time immemorial. ### This legislation does not make our supply chains more secure or even ensure that more of the domestic critical minerals that we need will get mined for American workers. ### This issue affects mine and Representative Huffman's district in that there is a foreign company that is looking to mine low-value minerals that will destroy drinking water, fish habitat, and recreational opportunities on the Smith River. ### We do not need to be a cheap date for foreign entities so the President and his family and his donors can get rich off the companies that they are personally invested in. That is not in the best interests of Americans or American workers. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill and work on something better for the American people and the resources that we depend on. \{time\} 1410 Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan \(Mr. Walberg\). Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, to strengthen America's security, unlock economic investment, and support thousands of hardworking men and women. ### As chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, I held a field hearing in Indiana earlier this year focused on the mining industry. I heard and saw firsthand how innovation and emerging technologies have transformed mining operations. These conversations reaffirmed what we all know: America has abundant natural resources, and when producers have a fair and efficient permitting process, they can safely and competitively access those resources to keep prices down, supply chains stable, and people employed. ### Unfortunately, the Biden-Harris administration sought to implement excessive permitting burdens that slow domestic production, increase costs on both producers and consumers, and deepen our dependence on foreign adversaries like China for essential minerals. ### These misguided efforts threaten both our national security and our competitive edge by narrowing the scope of projects eligible for expedited permitting. The Protecting Domestic Mining Act reverses that course. By expanding eligibility for fast-tracked mining permits, this bill cuts permitting delays and gives American producers the certainty they need to invest, innovate, and build here at home, creating more jobs for American workers. ### If we want to build on our manufacturing momentum, Congress must ensure we have reliable access to the critical minerals that support a surge in modern manufacturing. ### The Protecting Domestic Mining Act strengthens American manufacturing, encourages job creation and economic growth, and ensures we can fast-track projects, reducing costs for producers and consumers alike. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1501 and uphold American competitiveness. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. 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. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska \(Mr. Begich\). 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. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah \(Mr. Kennedy\). Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Westerman, Representative Shreve, and colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee for their work on this important piece of legislation. ### Every modern economy, every advanced technology, and every military capability depends on these kinds of minerals. Copper, iron, lithium, rare earths, and other minerals are essential to our power grid, our manufacturing base, our defense systems, and the technologies that will define our future. ### Yet, we continue to rely heavily on foreign nations, including our geopolitical adversaries, for the minerals we need to manufacture these products. That is a national security vulnerability. The problem is not that America lacks these resources. We certainly have them. The problem is that it has become easier to permit a mine almost anywhere else on Earth than here at home, so the mine is developed somewhere else; jobs go somewhere else; and the supply chain we depend on ends up running through countries that do not wish us well. Endless permitting uncertainty does not protect anything. It simply hands our competitors the advantage over the industries that power our economy and national defense. ### I represent Utah, and I have seen what responsible mineral development looks like. Utah has a proud history of it. Today, mining supports in our State more than 43,000 jobs and contributes billions of dollars to our economy. ### The Protecting Domestic Mining Act takes an important step toward fixing that problem. It ensures that mining and mineral processing projects can benefit from a predictable and coordinated permitting process. ### Republicans are cutting through Washington's red tape to give American producers the certainty that they need. Without it, nothing gets built. No one invests billions in a mine that takes a decade to complete if the rules might be rewritten in 4 years. Mr. Speaker, this is about whether America can still build what it needs. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we agree with the gentleman from Utah that we need to be taking seriously our dependence on foreign adversaries when it comes to critical minerals and processing. That is why time and again my Democratic colleagues and I have offered amendments to make sure that when it comes to opening up our public lands—and, in this case, when it comes to opening up the benefits of this fast-tracked FAST-41 process—we are not handing it over to our foreign adversaries. ### We have proposed amendments time and again, and those amendments have been opposed by our Republican colleagues. We have yet to hear a good reason why they keep opposing this, nor is there one. The language we have proposed time and again comes from one of their own Republican colleagues, the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party chairman, Mr. Moolenaar. We have proposed his exact language time and again as a commonsense guardrail to make sure that our public resources and the benefits of this fast-tracking are not simply used to hand a gift to the very foreign adversary we say we are so terribly concerned about. ### It keeps getting rejected time and time again, which makes you wonder what this bill is really about. It is definitely not the competitive rivalry with China. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 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, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah \(Mr. - Moore\). \{time\} 1420 Mr. MOORE of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in favor of the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. Mr. Speaker, I also rise to give the ranking member, the gentleman from northern California, another opportunity to agree with a Utahn today. ### I am very proud to co-lead this legislation, including this bill, with Representative Shreve and sincerely thank Chairman Westerman for his leadership on this issue. This committee is about getting things done. This committee is about being productive, and it is an honor to have been on this committee and to continue to be associated with it. ### I am glad to see this very important bill progress through our Chamber. It is no question that the American domestic mining industry is critical to our national security and our energy dominance. ### In Utah alone, mining supports over 43,000 jobs and contributes over $5 billion to our State GDP annually. Across the country, those numbers jump to nearly 600,000 jobs and over $375 billion to our GDP. Growth in this sector has historically been difficult. It takes an average of 19 years for a new mine to go through the permitting process. These delays unnecessarily burden our growing supply chain demands and create further reliance on Chinese mineral production. ### The FAST-41 Program was a move in the right direction to ensure more efficient and predictable timelines when working with the Federal Government to open new mines. The increased coordination and cross- agency engagement are exactly the kind of improvements that our government needs. ### Unfortunately, the Biden administration decided that only certain types of mines should be eligible for FAST-41. This bill corrects that decision and protects the eligibility of all hardrock mines. ### We often speak about the importance of supporting domestic production and the risks associated with overreliance on countries that want to see us fail. We have a real opportunity to change our programs, to support domestic industry, promote American energy and national security, and fulfill our responsibility to make government work better for the people. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this bill. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this argument that we need this legislation to address our dangerous dependency on foreign adversaries for critical minerals continues to ring very hollow. One of the ways that we can avoid being too dependent on foreign adversaries is to develop trading relationships with our allies, none closer to us than Canada. Canada, for example, is one of our largest mineral trading partners. They exported about $76 billion in minerals to the United States in 2025. If making sure that we are not dependent on adversaries like China was really important to us, I should certainly hear a lot of alarm from my friends across the aisle about the fact that President Trump is starting a trade war with Canada, our neighbor, one of our closest allies and a critical minerals trading partner that makes us less dependent on foreign adversaries. Instead we hear crickets. ### He is even trying to rename Lake Ontario to further antagonize this - trading partner, and we hear nothing from the other side. ### This bill is about many things, but it is certainly not about - reducing our dependence on minerals from foreign adversaries. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah \(Mr. Owens\). 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. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this administration has demonstrated that it is all too willing to abuse the tools at its disposal to promote projects that simply line the pockets of members of this administration, their family, and their oligarch pals. I will give you a few examples. Not too long ago, the Trump administration announced that it would invest over a billion dollars and take an equity stake in USA Rare Earth, a mining and manufacturing company. Reporting uncovered that USA Rare Earth hired Cantor Fitzgerald, a firm chaired by Brandon Lutnick, the son of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. How about that coincidence? ### Last October, the Trump administration announced equity investments in the mining company Trilogy Metals while simultaneously directing agencies to fast-track permitting for Ambler Road, the controversial project needed to access Trilogy Metals' proposed mine site. ### Trilogy Metals' third-largest shareholder is John Alfred Paulson, a Trump MAGA donor and economic adviser. His Trilogy shares increased by $70 million in value after that announcement. ### The administration is making a pattern out of picking winners and losers in the mining industry and a suspicious number of those winners have close ties to Donald Trump. ### These deals tie taxpayer dollars to corporate balance sheets and incentivize administration officials to prioritize individual corporate interests over the broader public good. To date, there has been no public disclosure of safeguards or procedures to ensure that these ownership stakes do not influence permitting, regulatory enforcement, contracting, and other agency decisions relating to these mining and minerals projects. ### Before we give this administration yet additional power to enrich themselves at the expense of everyday Americans, let's get some answers to some of these questions we have been asking about all this corruption and self-dealing. ### We have been talking about whether the administration should prioritize when it comes to doling out the limited capacity of the FAST-41 Permitting Council. If everything is a priority, nothing is. H.R. 1501 ties this and any future administration's hands from doing any prioritization to make sure that FAST-41 permitting is limited to critical minerals projects. This does nothing to help lower prices for Americans. It just gives gold mines or even mines owned by our foreign adversaries the same access to FAST-41 streamlining as minerals projects needed for our national or economic security interests. ### This ties up limited staff and resources meant to get nationally important projects built faster. It gives this corrupt administration another tool to abuse, to help their buddies get ahead. Let's be clear, even though the Permitting Council is supposed to work with any eligible project that is put forward by a sponsor, we know that that won't stop this administration from pushing to prioritize their favorite projects, which seems to be determined more and more by the President's profits than by the public interest. ### This is an administration that has repeatedly put pressure on agencies to do favors for their buddies, whether that is pushing the National Park Service to give part of Yosemite to a private developer or making a call to the Department of Defense to speed up a funding deal for a mining company with ties to the President's son. Why would this permitting be any different? ### To rein in possible abuses, we did offer commonsense amendments to limit fast-track eligibility to critical minerals projects, projects that are by definition actually critical to our national and economic security, but Republicans voted it down in committee and then blocked it from even being considered here on the House floor. Let's be clear: This legislation is not about what is best for our country. It is about giving one more of the President's favorite industries carte blanche for special treatment. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. \{time\} 1430 Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. 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. The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired. ### Pursuant to House Resolution 1499, the previous question is ordered - on the bill, as amended. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. ### The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was - read the third time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on passage of the bill. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. ## Official source - [Download the official section PDF](https://api.govinfo.gov/packages/CREC-2026-09-02/granules/CREC-2026-09-02-pt1-PgH5452/pdf)