CRA Restores a Responsible Process for Mineral Rich Lands

What you need to know

• President Trump has signed into law a resolution to reverse a 20-year ban on mineral-rich land in Minnesota – learn what this means for American minerals security and the future of domestic mining.
• This Military Appreciation Month, we honor the men and women who have served our country. From fighter aircraft to radar systems and advanced chips, virtually every component of U.S. military defense depends on minerals.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

May 13, 2026

Dear Friend,

Earlier this month, Congress and President Trump took a significant step toward restoring balance in America’s minerals policy. The action was straightforward: using a Congressional Review Act resolution championed by Rep. Pete Stauber to reverse a Biden administration withdrawal of more than 220,000 acres from any consideration for potential mineral exploration and development.

This action isn’t aimed at opening every acre of land to mining. Instead, it restores a responsible process for evaluating lands—including Minnesota’s deposits of cobalt, nickel, copper and other metals needed for our economic competitiveness and national security–and projects for their mineral potential.

Responsible mining is a core principle of our efforts to reshore production and reestablish American mineral dominance. America has laws that designate national monuments and protected conservation areas precisely because mining shouldn’t happen everywhere. Mining should be concentrated where it makes both economic and environmental sense – where resources are abundant and responsible development is feasible.

This CRA resolution doesn’t change that guidance. What it does is ensure that lands with genuine mineral potential and viable development opportunities can be fairly evaluated under existing law.

America cannot afford to leave domestic mineral production on the table. When we decline development of minerals we possess in abundance, we don’t eliminate the need for those minerals. We simply ensure they come from elsewhere, often from far less responsible producers and American adversaries.

This resolution represents a return to balanced minerals policy, one that recognizes America’s resource wealth, respects environmental protections where they’re warranted, and ensures that viable mineral development can proceed as Congress originally intended. It’s a foundation for the kind of minerals security America needs.

Thank you,
Rich Nolan
National Mining Association (NMA)
President and CEO