Treats certain Defense Department actions that expand domestic production of critical minerals as covered projects under federal permitting law, unless the project sponsor asks otherwise.

• Covers Defense Department actions under Presidential Determination 2022-11 that support mineral feasibility studies, by-product production, and modernization of mining and processing.
• Treats those actions as covered projects under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act permitting framework, without regard to that section's usual requirements.
• Adds those actions to the Permitting Dashboard maintained under section 41003(b) of that Act.
• Allows a project sponsor to request that an action not be treated as a covered project.

• Natural Resources Committee (House)
• Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee

Environmental Protection