Highlights

• House Republicans advanced six bills to streamline critical mineral permitting through FAST-41 expansion, rare earth recovery from coal waste, and new market stabilization tools to reduce foreign dependence.
• While permitting reform addresses procedural delays and improves investment signals, it doesn't guarantee project financing, local approval, or the domestic separation and processing capacity needed for rare earth production.
• The legislation increases upstream optionality through expanded exploration access and unconventional feedstocks, but commercial-scale refining and manufacturing remain the structural bottleneck for U.S. supply chain independence.

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Strengthens permitting certainty; reduces regulatory risk for mine developers; improves investment visibility.

House Republicans advanced six bills to speed up mine permitting, expand exploration on federal lands, recover rare earths from coal waste, and create new financial tools to stabilize critical mineral markets. Lawmakers argue this will strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on foreign adversaries. The real question: do these measures meaningfully shift U.S. production capacity?

FAST-41 Expansion: Process Reform, Not Output Reform

Several bills amend the FAST Act to expand FAST-41 coverage to mining projects, rare earth recovery from coal waste, and projects authorized under the Defense Production Act. FAST-41 does not eliminate environmental review; it streamlines interagency coordination and sets timelines.

This is procedurally significant. Permitting delays remain a structural constraint in U.S. mining.

But a faster review does not guarantee project financing, local approval, or downstream processing capacity. Permitting reform reduces friction. It does not create separate plants.

Rare Earths from Coal Waste: Technically Plausible, Economically Selective

The RESCUE Act would allow projects extracting rare earth elements from coal ash, tailings, and acid mine drainage to qualify for expedited review. This aligns with ongoing DOE-supported pilot programs exploring unconventional feedstocks.

The geology is real. The economics are uneven. Recovery depends on concentration grades, reagent costs, and separation complexity. Not every coal basin becomes a rare earth district.

Financial Tools and a Strategic Reserve: Signal vs. Structure

The SECURE Minerals Act proposes new federal financial tools to stabilize markets and establish a Strategic Resilience Reserve. Stabilization mechanisms can improve investor confidence.

However, reserves and price support tools do not substitute for commercial-scale refining and magnet manufacturing. Without domestic solvent extraction and downstream alloy capacity, upstream gains remain constrained.

Exploration Expansion: Access vs. Impact

The ORE Act would expand notice-level exploration thresholds on BLM and Forest Service lands. That lowers early-stage barriers. It does not guarantee viable deposits.

Exploration increases optionality. Production depends on grade, infrastructure, and capital.

Proposed Legislation

Bill No.	Bill Name	Sponsor	Core Policy Change	Strategic Impact on Supply Chain
H.R. 1501	Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025	Rep. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN)	Codifies mining as a covered sector under FAST-41 and blocks any future rule narrowing mining eligibility under FAST-41	Strengthens permitting certainty; reduces regulatory risk for mine developers; improves investment visibility
H.R. 2969	Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration Act	Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)	Modifies USGS authority and objectives when entering MOUs with foreign nations for mineral cooperation	Enhances international mineral diplomacy; potentially strengthens upstream resource partnerships
H.R. 4781	Rare Earth Solutions and Carbon Utilization Enhancement (RESCUE) Act of 2025	Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)	Classifies rare earth and critical mineral recovery from coal, coal waste, acid mine drainage, and tailings as FAST-41 eligible	Accelerates secondary and unconventional REE feedstock projects; supports domestic resource diversification
H.R. 5929	Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resiliency Act	Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY)	Adds Defense Production Act-authorized projects to FAST-41 expedited permitting	Aligns national security mineral projects with streamlined review; integrates DoD-backed initiatives into permitting reform
H.R. 7126	Securing Essential and Critical U.S. Resources and Elements (SECURE) Minerals Act of 2026	Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA)	Establishes federal financial tools to stabilize mineral prices and creates a Strategic Resilience Reserve	Introduces price stabilization mechanisms; aims to improve market predictability and investment confidence
H.R. 7458	Domestic Opportunities for Resource Exploration (ORE) Act	Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-WY)	Expands notice-level exploration threshold on BLM lands to 25 acres and applies same standard to USFS lands	Lowers early-stage exploration barriers; increases domestic project pipeline optionality

The Structural Bottom Line

These bills meaningfully address permitting timelines and market signaling. That is substantive policy movement.

But the rare earth bottleneck remains in the separation and processing scale. Mining is upstream. Chemistry is destiny.

Investors should monitor implementation details, funding levels, and—most critically—new domestic processing capacity announcements.