Removing Obstacles to Mining’s Contributions to the Economy and National Security

On April 18, 2025, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council announced an initial group of mineral production projects to benefit from increased transparency, accountability and predictability in the permitting review process. An additional 10 projects received FAST- 41 status on May 2, 2025. By granting these projects streamlined permitting, the administration is advancing the President’s March 20 directive to move forward on initiatives long stalled in the permitting pipeline, supporting domestic mineral production, job creation and economic growth.

Once operational, these minerals projects will allow the U.S. to shore up its minerals supply and decrease our reliance on imported minerals, all while upholding some of the highest environmental, safety and labor practices in the world.

We are pleased that 13 of the projects selected for FAST- 41 status are minerals projects operated by NMA members:

• Resolution Copper Project – Located near Superior, Arizona, the Resolution Copper Project is expected to become the largest copper mine in North America, producing up to 25% of annual U.S. copper demand.
• Stibnite Project – Based in Valley County, Idaho, the Stibnite Project will restore the historic Yellow Pine Pit, restarting gold and antimony mining at the site.
• McDermitt Exploration Project – Based in northern Nevada, McDermitt Exploration Project is positioned to be the first lithium clay producing asset in the US, potentially located on the world’s largest source of lithium clays.
• Caldwell Canyon Mine Project – Located in Caribou County, Idaho, Caldwell Canyon Mine Project aims to produce phosphorus in a sustainable manner on a 35–40-year mining timescale.
• Libby Exploration Project – The Libby Exploration Project is exploring underground silver and copper mining operations in Lincoln County, Montana near the Cabinet Mountains.
• Lisbon Valley Copper Project – Based in the Lisbon Valley in Utah, the Lisbon Valley Copper Project is expanding its copper mining operations up to an annual potential of 54 million pounds.
• NorthMet Project – Based in northeastern Minnesota, the NorthMet Project will use existing mine infrastructure to expand copper and nickel-copper concentrates, with a capability of 32,000 tons per day.
• La Jara Mesa – In Cibola County, New Mexico, the La Jara Mesa Project is awaiting approval to mine low-cost uranium, with a potential 7.2 million pounds of uranium in the area.
• Roca Honda – Near San Mateo, New Mexico, the Roca Honda Project is a uranium mine seeking access to uranium deposits on Forest Service lands.
• Greens Creek Surface Exploration – Based in southwest Alaska, the Greens Creek Surface project is the largest silver mine in the United States, in addition to mining gold, lead and zinc.
• Stillwater Mine – Near Nye, Montana, the Stillwater Mine is the only US-based mine for platinum group metals, producing approximately 120-150 koz 2E per annum of platinum and palladium.
• 3PL Railroad Valley Exploration – Based in Railroad Valley, Nevada, the 3PL Railroad Valley project is exploring and developing 3 Proton Lithium, and is located on the largest identified lithium resource in North America.
• Amelia A&B – Based in Jessup, Georgia, the Amelia A&B project is seeking to excavate mineral bearing sands on 7,120 acres of land to extract titanium oxide, zircon and other minerals.

Streamlining and improving transparency in the permitting process makes the U.S. more competitive and secure while unlocking new economic opportunities in our communities. A mining job can pay 45 percent more than the national average, and moving multiple projects through FAST-41 has the potential to create thousands of jobs in the near term, from mining and transportation to refining. Building a strong domestic minerals supply chain will help drive economic growth across many sectors.

Our continued economic leadership depends on access to minerals, which are essential for America’s energy grid and factories. Domestic minerals production ensures a reliable supply, enabling energy providers to meet rising demands efficiently and giving the manufacturing sector the resources it needs to thrive.

Domestic minerals production is vital to maintaining America’s energy independence, boosting our economy, and creating thousands of stable, high-paying jobs nationwide. We are encouraged by this important step and look forward to the announcement of additional projects under this initiative.