The House plans to vote on legislation this week to address a long-standing concern about how the government labels critical minerals, among other bills.
The “Critical Mineral Consistency Act,” H.R. 755, from Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), would align the Energy and Interior department’s lists of metals and minerals considered critical.
A critical mineral designation from Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey can mean money for projects and expedited permitting. The bill passed the Natural Resources Committee easily last month.
Democrats have balked at previous iterations of the legislation, arguing that mining interests just wanted to give copper special treatment despite the resource’s abundance. Copper used to be on the DOE list but not the USGS roster.
