Stauber sponsors bill to streamline mine permits for federal lands

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN) on Monday led more than a dozen of his Republican colleagues in proposing legislation that would improve the permitting process for mining on federal lands.

“Our country, including my northern Minnesota district, is blessed with vast mineral wealth that should supply many of our needs,” Rep. Stauber said. “Unfortunately, our current permitting process fails to deliver our resources because it is far too often abused by keep-it-in-the-ground activists who oppose mining solely on ideological grounds.”

Rep. Stauber sponsored the Permitting for Mining Needs (PERMIT-MN) Act of 2023, H.R. 209, with 16 GOP original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), Garret Graves (R-LA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), and Tom Emmer (R-MN). The bill aims to streamline the permitting process for mining projects nationwide to secure domestic mineral supply chains, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Stauber’s staff.

“My PERMIT-MN Act empowers our mining community nationwide to harvest our resources and secure our domestic supply chains,” said Rep. Stauber. “Our House Republican majority is serious about restoring American mineral dominance, and the PERMIT-MN Act is the tip of the spear.”

If enacted, H.R. 209 also would set time limits on reviews and qualifying mining projects for the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council Dashboard; ban lawsuits filed after a decision has been published; and designate a lead agency and authorize memorandums of understanding between sponsors and state and local governments, the bill summary says.

“Let’s pass this commonsense legislation and get shovels in the ground while protecting our environment,” Rep. Stauber said. “Our nation’s security depends on it.”

H.R. 209, which has garnered support from the National Association of Building Trades Unions, the American Exploration and Mining Association, the National Mining Association, and the Uranium Producers of America, has been referred to both the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee and the U.S. House Agriculture Committee for consideration.