This week, President Donald Trump signed a sweeping Executive Order (EO) to unleash domestic mineral production. House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) issued the following statement in response:

"For far too long, America has been forced to turn to adversarial nations to meet our critical mineral needs. President Trump is leading us to unleash our domestic mineral wealth and mine right here in America once again. With this executive order, President Trump is bolstering our national and mineral security and ensuring our future is tied to a secure, safe and responsible domestic mineral supply chain."

Background

This week's EO on mineral production will help roll back red tape and support domestic production. This action will support a secure domestic supply chain and bolster national security. This EO facilitates increased domestic mining, processing, refining, and smelting of critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, gold, and any other material or derivative product that the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) determines vital to US national and economic security.

It directs the NEDC Chair, in consultation with the heads of relevant agencies, to identify priority mining projects with a documented plan of operations, permit, or other application within ten days. It also directs agencies to expedite permits and approvals for these projects. Under the EO, the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, Interior and Agriculture will identify lands within each department’s jurisdiction that are suitable for leasing and development of private commercial mineral production enterprises, targeting sites where projects could be fully permitted as soon as possible. Agencies would also be required to provide a list of these sites within 30 days and prioritize expedited leasing. The EO will also expand project financing opportunities and streamline future project development. 

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