To codify certain provisions of certain Executive Orders relating to domestic mining and hardrock mineral resources, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedAdditional sponsors: Mr. Begich and Mr. Finstad
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the …
Mr. Stauber introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Critical Mineral Dominance Act establishes it as official U.S. policy to become the world's leading producer of hardrock and rare earth minerals. The bill aims to rapidly expand domestic mining by cutting through federal red tape, expediting permit approvals, and identifying where critical minerals can be extracted on federal lands.
Who Benefits and How
Hardrock mining companies are the primary beneficiaries, gaining faster permit approvals (within 10 days for priority projects), reduced regulatory burdens, and access to new federal lands identified as mineral-rich. Rare earth mineral producers and processors benefit from the national policy priority and expedited permitting. Mining exploration and surveying companies will see new business opportunities as the government accelerates geologic mapping efforts. Coal mining companies could benefit from provisions encouraging mineral extraction from coal ash and mine tailings.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of the Interior faces significant new reporting and compliance requirements, including tight deadlines (10-90 days) for submitting project lists, reviewing regulations, and implementing action plans. The U.S. Geological Survey must accelerate mapping efforts and produce new economic impact reports on mineral import reliance. The Bureau of Land Management must process permit applications more quickly. Environmental regulatory agencies may see their oversight authority reduced as the bill requires identifying and suspending regulations deemed "unduly burdensome." Conservation and environmental groups may face reduced protections on federal lands.
Key Provisions
- Requires Interior to list and expedite approval of all pending mining permits on federal lands within 10 days
- Mandates a 90-day regulatory review to identify and suspend, revise, or rescind agency actions that burden mining
- Directs Interior to identify all federal lands with hardrock mineral potential for accelerated development
- Requires USGS to report on the economic cost of U.S. mineral import dependence starting in 2026
- Accelerates national geologic mapping focused on discovering new mineral deposits
- Encourages extraction of minerals from coal ash and mine tailings
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Establishes U.S. policy to become the leading producer of hardrock and rare earth minerals by expediting mining project approvals on federal lands, reducing regulatory burdens, and enhancing geological mapping.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Streamline federal permitting and regulatory processes to rapidly increase domestic mining production, reduce import dependence on critical minerals, and compete with adversarial nations."
Likely Beneficiaries
- Hardrock mining companies
- Rare earth mineral producers
- Domestic mineral processing facilities
- Mining equipment and services industry
- Defense and technology industries reliant on critical minerals
Likely Burden Bearers
- Department of the Interior (compliance and reporting requirements)
- U.S. Forest Service (consultation requirements)
- U.S. Geological Survey (expanded mapping and reporting duties)
- Environmental regulatory agencies (potential reduced oversight)
- Conservation and environmental groups (reduced protections on federal lands)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "secretary_of_agriculture"
- → Secretary of Agriculture (consultation role)
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
National Forest System land; public lands; and any land that may be leased for the exploration, development, or production of hardrock minerals.
Includes minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks, base metals, precious metals, industrial minerals, and gemstones. Excludes coal, oil, gas, sodium, potassium, sulfur, and materials under the Materials Act of 1947.
A project that involves the exploration for or development, extraction, or processing of a hardrock mineral.
As defined in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology