Adds mining projects to the list of "covered projects" eligible for streamlined federal permitting under Title 41 of the FAST Act, the law that coordinates federal review timelines through the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. It also blocks the Council from finalizing or enforcing a 2023 proposed rule that would have narrowed which mining projects qualify for that expedited treatment. Domestic mine operators seeking permits across multiple federal agencies would get access to the FAST-41 dashboard and schedule coordination. Environmental review requirements under existing law would still apply, but the timeline for federal decisions would be tightened.
Environmental Concerns
- Mining permit review timelines — Shortened via FAST-41 inclusion
- Proposed rule narrowing mining FAST-41 scope — Barred from being finalized
Corporate Benefits
- Mining companies — Access to expedited multi-agency permitting
Congressional Summary
Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025This bill provides statutory authority for federal agencies to expedite the environmental review of certain mining infrastructure projects.Specifically, the bill permanently makes certain mining infrastructure projects eligible for expedited environmental review under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). This provides statutory authority for similar authorities that were included in the rule titled Adding Mining as a Sector of Projects Eligible for Coverage Under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act and issued by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) on January 8, 2021. The bill also prohibits the Permitting Council from finalizing its proposed rule titled Revising Scope of the Mining Sector of Projects That Are Eligible for Coverage Under Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and issued on September 22, 2023. Among other modifications, the rule proposes to limit the types of mining projects that are eligible for the expedited environmental review process. Specifically, the proposed rule limits the expedited process to critical minerals mining projects.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-02-21
- Date Added
- 2026-05-22
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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