Congressman Shreve’s Bill to Strengthen Domestic Mining Advances Out of Committee

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Jefferson Shreve (IN-06) and Congressman Blake Moore (UT-01) announced that the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 advanced out of the House Committee on Natural Resources. The bill is an important step toward strengthening America’s critical mineral supply chain, cutting permitting delays, and reducing reliance on foreign adversaries.

The legislation amends the FAST Act to ensure mining and refining projects can benefit from a more coordinated and efficient federal permitting process. It also stops a proposed Biden-era rule that would narrow which mining projects qualify for that process.

“The Biden Administration’s proposed rule would make it harder to produce critical minerals in the United States and easier for China to keep gaining ground. That makes no sense,” said Congressman Jefferson Shreve. “We should be cutting red tape, strengthening American mining and processing, and securing the supply chains our economy and national security depend on.”

“The U.S. mining industry is critical to our national security and energy dominance. In Utah alone, mining supports more than 43,000 jobs and contributes more than $5.2 billion to our state’s GDP each year,”  said Congressman Blake Moore. “As demand for critical minerals continues to grow, our permitting process must keep pace. I’m proud to work with Congressman Shreve on the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 to ensure more mining projects can qualify for FAST-41 status.”

“America’s ability to build, power, and defend itself starts with reliable access to critical minerals,” said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman. “H.R. 1501 strengthens domestic mining by expanding FAST-41 expedited permitting for mining and processing projects, supporting jobs, and reducing reliance on foreign adversaries. I thank Rep. Shreve for his leadership on policies that strengthen our supply chains and support American workers and industry.”

“It is imperative to our nation’s economic prosperity and national security that we not only move forward with more mining projects, but move forward faster,” said Heather Reams, President and CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. “The Protecting Domestic Mining Act is an important step in the right direction by creating greater opportunity for mineral projects to receive expedited consideration under FAST-41. CRES is proud to support this legislation.”

The Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025 now heads to the full House for consideration.

Read the full bill text here.