Critical Mineral Dominance Act

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held.

Jul 15, 2026

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to identify and expedite approval of hardrock mining projects on federal lands, including National Forests and public lands. Interior must prioritize projects based on how quickly they can be permitted and their potential impact on domestic mineral supply chains. The bill requires Interior to suspend or revise agency actions it deems to be undue burdens on mining, recommend legislative changes to expand hardrock mineral production, and review state and local laws that it identifies as impeding mining development. Interior must also report on the economic impact of U.S. mineral imports and accelerate geologic mapping efforts.

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Critical Mineral Dominance Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to address mineral supply chain vulnerabilities, including by accelerating and expanding mineral production on federal land (i.e., National Forest System land, public lands, and any land that may be leased for the exploration, development, or production of hardrock minerals). Interior must (1) identify priority mining projects on federal lands that can be immediately approved, and (2) take all necessary and appropriate steps to expedite those projects. Interior must also identify active, inactive, or proposed mining projects on federal land that have the potential to (1) increase production of hardrock minerals or their byproducts, (2) expand existing operations to include such byproducts, or (3) produce hardrock minerals from mine tailings or coal byproducts. Further, Interior must identify certain federal land with potential for hardrock mining. Interior must prioritize identifying land where a mining project (1) can most quickly be fully permitted and operational, and (2) would have the greatest potential effect on the robustness of the domestic mineral supply chain. Interior must (1) suspend, revise, or rescind agency actions that place undue burdens on mining projects; (2) recommend changes to current law necessary to expand U.S. production of hardrock minerals; and (3) review state and local laws that impede development of domestic mining and mineral exploration projects. Interior must also report on the dollar value and overall economic impact of the United States' reliance on imports of certain mineral commodities. Finally, Interior must prioritize efforts to accelerate geologic mapping.