The White House has announced the acceleration of permitting for ten mining projects across the US, aimed at expanding the production of critical minerals.
These projects have been granted FAST-41 status, a federal initiative designed to streamline approvals for vital infrastructure.
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The White House stated: “Identifying these transparency projects under the Permitting Council’s statutory programme advances the President’s directive to take immediate action to facilitate domestic production of America’s vast mineral resources to create jobs, fuel prosperity, and significantly reduce our reliance on foreign nations.”
The selected projects include the proposed Stibnite antimony and gold mine in Idaho by Perpetua Resources and the proposed Resolution copper project in Arizona by Rio Tinto and BHP.
Other projects include Warrior Met coal mines, McDermitt exploration project, South West Arkansas project, Caldwell Canyon mine project, Libby exploration project, Lisbon Valley copper project, Silver Peak lithium mine and Michigan potash.
Permitting Council acting executive director Manisha Patel said: “This is the first use of the Permitting Council’s transparency authority, and we look forward to showcasing the many benefits the Federal Permitting Dashboard can bring to critical infrastructure projects as part of President Trump’s Executive Order on increasing American mineral production.
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By GlobalData“The Federal Permitting Dashboard is a vital tool in enhancing interagency coordination and efficient decision making and will play an invaluable role in ensuring that these projects receive the most efficient review and authorisation process possible in order to bring the benefits of next generation infrastructure to communities across the nation.”
The White House has expressed its commitment to adding more projects in the future on a rolling basis.
The fast-tracking of these projects follows President Trump’s recent order to investigate potential new tariffs on all US critical minerals imports.
The Trump administration has also indicated it will approve a land swap necessary for Rio Tinto and BHP to build the Resolution copper project, one of the world’s largest copper mines, despite concerns from Native Americans about the destruction of a site of religious value.
The US Forest Service plans to republish an environmental report within 60 days, which is required for the land swap to proceed for project.
Approved by Congress and then-President Barack Obama in 2014, the project has been a contentious issue due to its potential impact on the Oak Flat site, a sacred place for Arizona’s San Carlos Apache.
Wendsler Nosie, an Apache Stronghold leader, has criticised the US government’s haste in proceeding with the land swap, stating: “The US government is rushing to give away our spiritual home before the courts can even rule, just like it’s rushed to erase Native people for generations.”
The Apache Stronghold and their attorneys argue that developing the mine would violate the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion.
Despite the controversy, Rio Tinto sees the Forest Service’s move as a “positive step forward” and continues to work on the project with BHP.
In March 2024, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a prior ruling permitting the federal government to transfer land in Arizona to Rio Tinto and BHP for the Resolution copper project.
