The House Natural Resources Committee will vote on public land and mining bills this week, including legislation against a Biden administration plan to fast-track critical mineral projects.
H.R. 6862 would block a proposed rule from the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council — an agency set up to expedite environmental reviews for large projects — to only accelerate permitting of mining projects deemed critical by the federal government.
Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn of Colorado, Dan Newhouse of Washington and Blake Moore of Utah unveiled the legislation late last year to ensure all hardrock mineral projects would be eligible for expedited consideration under the so-called FAST-41 streamlined regulatory review process.
The proposed rule would limit the scope of “mining” to critical mineral projects — including processing and recycling — as defined by the Energy Act of 2020 and listed by the U.S. Geological Survey or by an act of Congress.
