House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman on Tuesday said lawmakers crafting a sweeping reconciliation bill are not planning to include language that would impose a first-of-its-kind royalty on hardrock mining, a contentious idea that’s faltered in the past.
Instead, the Republican representative from Arkansas, who is helping craft the party-line bill’s energy and resource provisions, said members are focusing on expanding domestic mining and eyeing the sector as a revenue generator in budget reconciliation, which allows Congress to fast-track legislation with a clear budget nexus.
“We’re not working on language to create mining royalties,” Westerman said in a statement. “We’re focusing on the ways expanding mining in the U.S. can continue to support our federal budget.”
Westerman first noted the royalty idea was under discussion among some members last week during an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News, but he stopped short of providing details or weighing in.