The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 18 passed a bill introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei intended to unleash domestic mining production.
A statement by Amodei said the bill restores regulatory clarity and stability for mining projects by establishing a new category of mill sites to ensure that operators can use federal lands for ancillary activities.
Amodei said strengthening the domestic mineral supply chain is needed to ensure the U.S. doesn’t fall further behind China.
“Western states are sitting on a wealth of resources and a critical opportunity to break our dangerous reliance on foreign adversaries while powering our own economy,” Amodei said. “The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores decades of established precedent, repairs a permitting process undermined by the Rosemont decision, and gives domestic mining operations the certainty they need to compete aggressively and win.”
Rep. Steven Horsford co-sponsored the bill.
“Streamlining the hardrock mining process will create good jobs and strengthen our energy sector,” Horsford said. “At the same time, this legislation delivers more resources for the Silver State to clean up past mining-related contaminants in our environment. The result is more jobs, a stronger economy, and an opportunity for a cleaner Nevada moving forward.”
“The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores regulatory certainty that was lost due to the misguided 2022 Rosemont decision,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman. “The bill reaffirms that mining support activities are an essential part of responsible mineral development. It encourages domestic mineral production at a moment when America’s economy and national security depend on mining more than ever. I would like to thank Representative Amodei for his leadership on this important legislation.”
Nevada Representatives Susie Lee and Dina Titus voted against the bill. But Senators Jackie Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto both support it. Cortez Masto said in a social media post that the bill is “common sense and it’s key for communities across Nevada that count on mining for their livelihoods.” Rosen helped introduce the Senate version of Amodei’s bill.
The bill was also hailed by the National Mining Association and the Nevada Mining Association.
“This legislation offers clarity and represents an important step toward supporting Nevada’s modern mining industry and strengthening domestic mineral production critical to national security, energy, transportation, and other essential needs,” Nevada Mining Association President Amanda Hilton said.
In 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision revoking an approved mine plan of operation for the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona. The decision limits the Forest Service’s ability to approve support activities necessary for conducting mining operations on federal land, upending over 40 years of regulatory and legal precedent. Amodei’s statement said the Rosemont decision will thwart hardrock mining projects across federal lands, further jeopardizing domestic mineral supply chains, energy security, and national security if it is allowed to stand.
“The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores regulatory certainty that was lost due to the misguided 2022 Rosemont decision,” said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman. “The bill reaffirms that mining support activities are an essential part of responsible mineral development. It encourages domestic mineral production at a moment when America’s economy and national security depend on mining more than ever.”
Amodei said the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act provides needed regulatory clarity by creating a new category of mill sites for activities ancillary to mining that operators can include within the boundaries of an approved plan of operations.
The bill also creates an “Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund” to support the reclamation program established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Claim maintenance fees will be used to fund a program to inventory, assess, and remediate abandoned hardrock mine lands.
The environmental group Center for Biological Diversity is among the opponents of the bill.
“Anti-conservation members of Congress are trying yet again to give away America’s much-loved public lands to corporate polluters,” said Ashley C. Nunes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity. “Hardrock mining is the top source of toxic pollution in the nation. It doesn’t make a lick of sense to surrender countless acres of our public lands that provide clean water, wildlife habitat, cultural resources and recreation for millions of Americans just so mining conglomerates can make more profit.”
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