The House Natural Resources Committee will mark up almost a dozen bills this week to expand federal critical mineral efforts and address Western water concerns.
H.R. 8446, the “Critical Mineral Consistency Act,” from Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani and Eli Crane of Arizona and Dan Newhouse of Washington, seeks to combine U.S. Geological Survey and Department of Energy critical minerals lists.
The legislation would expand the USGS list to include copper, electrical steel, silicon and silicon carbide to the list of materials considered critical and subject to supply disruptions.
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Many Democrats oppose the bill, saying supporters just want to give mining companies that don’t need it subsidies and expedited permitting.
