U.S. Senator schedules vote on Bipartisan Mining and Water Legislation

U.S. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) announced a vote on four bills in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. One of the bills introduced by Senator Lee, who is the Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, received bipartisan support and would boost America’s domestic critical minerals production capabilities. The “Critical Mineral Consistency Act,” introduced by Senator Lee and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ), would amend the Energy Act of 2020 to align the list of critical minerals used by the Department of Energy with the critical minerals list used by the U.S. Geological Survey.

This combination of lists would allow copper to become a critical mineral, opening up avenues for federal funding to boost domestic copper supply and support various essential U.S. energy and security technologies. However, the committee postponed a vote on the “Critical Mineral Consistency Act” pending further review. Meanwhile, the “Mining Regulatory Clarity Act” from Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), which would make the process of acquiring mining claims less burdensome on U.S. companies, was advanced by the committee in a 14–6 vote. The committee also considered two additional minor pieces of legislation.