Congressman Pete Stauber’s Critical Mineral Dominance Act Passes the House
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) today celebrated the House passage of his legislation, H.R. 4090, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act. This bipartisan legislation codifies several of the Trump Administration’s executive actions aimed at establishing the United States as the world's leading producer of critical and rare earth minerals. The legislation will help strengthen national security and reduce the United States’ dangerous mineral dependence on foreign adversaries like China.
“President Trump has been a champion for American mineral dominance from day one, and by codifying the administration’s domestic mining policies into law, we can ensure that these pro-mining policies stay in place no matter who is in the White House,” said Congressman Stauber. “This legislation will help enable us to mine here domestically, create good-paying, union jobs, enhance our national security, and position the United States to lead and win in the 21st Century economy.”
“For far too long, America's reliance on imports has left us vulnerable, with China controlling roughly 60 percent of global critical mineral production, 90 percent of processing, and 75 percent of manufacturing. The Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly weaponized this dominance through export restrictions and trade leverage, creating uncertainty for key U.S. industries. Previous administrations exacerbated this issue by reversing project approvals and restricting development on millions of acres of public lands, stifling domestic mining efforts,” Congressman Stauber added.
H.R. 4090 requires the Department of the Interior (DOI) to assess the economic costs of our import reliance for each critical mineral and incorporate this data into annual USGS summaries. The legislation also requires DOI to identify expedite approval of proposed priority mining projects on federal lands, while exploring opportunities for the utilization of products from active, inactive, or proposed mines. Additionally, it calls for DOI to report to Congress on the barriers to such byproduct production and recommendations to overcome them.
The full text of H.R. 4090, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act, is available here.
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