Sponsors (8)
The bill aims to strengthen domestic uranium supply and planning by designating uranium a critical mineral—supporting energy producers and federal data collection—while raising local environmental health risks and modest new federal costs.
Utilities and domestic uranium producers will have greater regulatory certainty for planning and permitting because uranium is designated a critical mineral.
Domestic uranium miners, processors, and related state governments may gain access to federal funding, research, and supply‑chain support that can lower costs and strengthen domestic supply.
Federal agencies (e.g., USGS, DOI) will have clearer statutory direction to monitor uranium resources and produce data useful to planners, communities, and policymakers.
Rural and nearby communities could face increased local environmental contamination and health risks if listing accelerates permitting or development of uranium projects.
Taxpayers may bear increased federal spending or indirect costs tied to supporting domestic uranium production and related programs.
Federal agencies and regulators may incur legal, administrative, and transition costs to implement the updated critical‑mineral definition and any overridden exclusions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Declares uranium a federal "critical mineral" and requires it to be listed now and on all future USGS critical-mineral lists, overriding fuel-mineral exclusions.
Official title: To provide for the inclusion of uranium on the list of critical minerals, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 26, 2025 by John J. McGuire · Last progress February 26, 2025
This bill declares uranium a “critical mineral” for the purposes of the USGS 2022 final list and for every future critical minerals list under 30 U.S.C. § 1606, overriding any current legal or regulatory exclusions that treat fuel minerals differently. It requires federal authorities to treat uranium as if it were already listed in the USGS 2022 list and to include it on all subsequent lists, changing the statutory scope of what counts as a critical mineral.