The move aims to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on foreign sources.
The U.S. government has announced the “first wave” of critical mineral projects selected for expedited permitting, as part of a broader strategy to bolster the nation’s domestic resource sector.
The ten projects—spanning copper, lithium, gold, silver, potash, and coal—include developments led by major players such as Rio Tinto, Albemarle, and Perpetua Resources. The projects have been added to the federal permitting dashboard under the FAST-41 program, an initiative launched in 2015 to accelerate approvals for critical infrastructure. The program enhances transparency and streamlines the federal environmental review process.
The first mining project to ever receive FAST-41 treatment was South32’s Hermosa zinc-manganese project in Arizona, which was fast-tracked by President Joe Biden in February 2024.
Last week, President Donald Trump ordered an investigation into the country’s imports of critical minerals (we reported). The probe aims to assess supply chain vulnerabilities, evaluate domestic downstream industrial capacities, and recommend potential countermeasures. Fast-tracking domestic production capacities could also be a move towards becoming more independent from industry leader China.
The full list of projects covered under the FAST-41 program can be found here.
Photo: Tom Fisk via Canva
