Natural Resources and Mining Law Blog
The Trump administration has unveiled the first 10 mining projects designated for accelerated federal permitting under Executive Order 14157, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, which prioritizes expedited permitting, federal land leasing, and funding of mining projects (discussed in our previous blogpost here). Published by the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council), the list — including gold, silver, copper, lithium, coal, and potash ventures — prioritizes ventures critical to reducing U.S. reliance on foreign minerals and advancing national energy and economic security goals.
The Permitting Council identified high-value projects as “transparency projects” on the FAST-41 Federal Permitting Dashboard created under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Notable ventures include:
- Stibnite Gold Project (Idaho): A proposed open-pit gold mine in central Idaho, aiming to mine gold, silver, and antimony.
- Resolution Copper Mine (Arizona): A contested land swap critical to developing the largest U.S. copper mine, now fast-tracked despite pending Supreme Court review of tribal challenges (discussed in our blogpost here).
- Silver Peak Lithium Mine (Nevada): Expansion of the nation’s sole operating lithium mine, vital for renewable energy technologies.
- Warrior Met Coal Mines (Alabama): Mine recently designated as critical for steel-making coal.
These projects will leverage the Federal Permitting Dashboard to facilitate interagency coordination to compress environmental reviews and litigation timelines. EO 14157 provides that the Permitting Council shall provide schedules for expedited review for the listed projects. Accordingly, the dashboard states that permitting timetable for these projects will be published on or before May 2, 2025. While the administration emphasizes urgency, projects like Resolution Copper face ongoing litigation, including a pending Supreme Court petition by the San Carlos Apache Tribe over sacred site concerns.
The Permitting Council confirmed additional projects will be added to the dashboard in the coming weeks, signaling sustained momentum for the administration’s mineral dominance agenda. However, balancing efficiency with environmental and tribal concerns remains a pivotal challenge.
Kerry Shapiro
Kerry Shapiro chairs the Natural Resources & Mining Practice Group at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. He has represented the mining, building materials, and other resource industries on mineral extraction and land development projects for more than 25 years. Kerry also serves as General Counsel to the California Construction and Industrial Materials Association (CalCIMA). Contact Kerry at KShapiro@jmbm.com.
Ha Chung
Ha Chung is an environmental and land use lawyer at Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP. He advises clients on land use, development, water resources, and environmental regulatory compliance matters. Contact Ha at HChung@jmbm.com.
JMBM’s Natural Resources & Mining Law Group
Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP has one of California’s leading natural resources and mining law practice groups. The group is comprised of lawyers with over 25 years of practice in law firms, government, and consulting, and provides companies and trade associations with unparalleled counseling, compliance, and litigation services in nearly every area of federal and California natural resources and mining law.