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Drilling Industry NewsMining & Mineral Exploration Drilling

U.S. Fast-Tracks 10 New Mining Projects to Boost Critical Mineral Production

The latest round of projects includes proposed developments targeting copper, nickel, palladium, uranium, silver, and titanium dioxide.

By The Driller Staff
A miner stands in a field awaiting his next assignment

Image via Rudi Suardi from Getty Images Signature

May 5, 2025

The U.S. federal government has added 10 new mining projects to its FAST-41 permitting program, an initiative designed to expedite the approval of infrastructure deemed vital to national interests. The announcement reflects ongoing efforts to scale up domestic production of critical minerals used in clean energy technologies, electronics, and defense systems.

The latest round of projects includes proposed developments targeting copper, nickel, palladium, uranium, silver, and titanium dioxide. Among them are a copper-nickel mine in Minnesota operated by a Glencore and Teck Resources joint venture; a uranium project in New Mexico by Energy Fuels; a palladium expansion by Sibanye Stillwater in Montana; Hecla’s silver project in Alaska; and a titanium dioxide operation in Georgia by Chemours.

All 10 projects will benefit from FAST-41 status, a designation that originated with the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act. The program is intended to streamline interagency coordination, improve transparency, and accelerate permitting timelines. Project progress is publicly trackable through a federal permitting dashboard.

Supporters of the program view the expansion as a necessary step to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers—particularly China—for minerals essential to electric vehicles, battery storage, and military equipment. The federal government has emphasized the need to secure mineral supply chains to meet both economic and strategic goals.

However, the move has also prompted criticism from environmental organizations and community groups. While FAST-41 does not eliminate environmental review requirements, opponents have raised concerns that accelerated permitting could lead to inadequate public engagement and reduced scrutiny of ecological impacts.

Some of the newly listed projects are located near sensitive ecosystems or Indigenous territories, where past mining proposals have faced legal and environmental pushback. For instance, copper-nickel mining in Minnesota has historically raised alarms due to the risk of acid mine drainage and its potential impact on nearby watersheds.

Last week, a Minnesota court ruled against the NorthMet copper-nickel project, underscoring ongoing challenges for mining developments in legally and environmentally contested areas. Although that project was not among those newly fast-tracked, its legal setbacks highlight the regulatory complexity that similar projects may face.

President Donald Trump has also directed a review of potential tariffs on critical mineral imports, further signaling a policy shift toward bolstering domestic mining as a matter of national economic and security strategy.

As the fast-tracked projects move forward, agencies, stakeholders, and communities will be closely watching how the federal government balances the urgency of mineral independence with its environmental and legal obligations.

KEYWORDS: drilling jobs government policy

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