The National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act and the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Policy Act are now headed to a vote of the U.S. House of Representations.
RENO (MINEWEB) – The House Natural Resources Committee Wednesday approved two bills aimed at the development of rare earths and critical minerals in the United States.
Approved on a 24-17 committee vote, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013 (H.R. 761) requires the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to more efficiently develop domestic resources of the minerals and mineral materials of strategic and critical importance to United States economic and natural security and manufacturing competitiveness.
The chief sponsor of the bill, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nevada, seeks to limit the length of delays to permit new mining projects. The measure sets time limits for the permit review process, including a maximum of 30 months for the total review process.
The bill also stipulates that the lead agency is not required to address agency or public comments that were not submitted during the public comments period required by law or provided by the lead agency.
HR 761 also limits the types of civil actions relating to exploration and mine permits, which can be filed against a federal agency.
“In the 2012 ranking of countries for mining investment, the United States ranked last in permitting delays,” said Amodei. “Duplicative regulations, bureaucratic inefficiency, and lack of coordination between federal agencies are threatening the economic recovery of my home state and jeopardizing our national security.”
“Nevada, which is rich in strategic and critical minerals, also has the highest unemployment rate in the nation,” he noted. “Decade-long permitting delays are standing in the way of high-paying jobs and revenue for local communities. This bill would streamline the permitting process to leverage our nation’s vast minerals resources, while paying due respect to economic and environmental concerns.”
In a statement Wednesday, National Mining Association CEO Hal Quinn said, “The ‘National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013’ approved today by the House Natural Resources Committee, would streamline the permitting system for U.S. mining and reverse a 30-year trend of increasing import reliance for minerals we have here at home.
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