On December 18, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1366, the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2025, legislation that seeks to overturn a 2022 Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that upended more than four decades of regulatory practice
Natural Resources and Mining Law Blog
The Natural Resources and Mining Law Blog, published by Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP, focuses on legal developments affecting natural resources, mining, and related environmental regulations. It covers topics such as critical minerals classification and supply chain issues, federal and state permitting processes, endangered species protections, and legislative changes impacting mining and resource extraction projects. The blog discusses the intersection of federal and California state law, including expedited permitting procedures, regulatory compliance, and the implications of new laws and executive orders on mining operations and natural resource management. It also addresses the impact of national security and energy policies on mineral production and environmental conservation.
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Latest from Natural Resources and Mining Law Blog
House Passes SPEED Act: Significant Step Toward Federal Permitting Reform for Mining Projects
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
On December 18, 2025, the House of Representatives passed the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Environmental Decisions (SPEED) Act by a vote of 221-196. The legislation represents the most comprehensive proposed reform of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in decades…
Critical Minerals Update: USGS Finalizes 2025 Critical Minerals List, Adding Copper, Silver, and Eight Others
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
What Happened: What The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released the final 2025 List of Critical Minerals, expanding it to 60 commodities by adding 10 new minerals. Published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2025, this update retains all…
California Assembly Bill 1319: State-Level Endangered Species Protections in Response to Federal Regulatory Changes
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
On October 11, 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1319 into law, establishing a new California Endangered Species Act (CESA) mechanism for California to extend state-level endangered species protections to species that may lose federal safeguards under the federal…
Bridging Federal and State Efforts: The Evolving Landscape of Critical Minerals Classification
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
The definition of “critical minerals” has become a pivotal issue in 2025, determining not only which mining projects receive expedited federal permitting and funding, but also which deposits gain protection from incompatible development under California law. As the federal government…
DOI Implements Expedited Permitting Procedures for Energy and Critical Mineral Projects
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
The U.S. Department of the Interior (“DOI”) has announced “emergency” permitting procedures to accelerate energy and critical mineral projects (DOI official announcement here) under Executive Order (“EO”) 14156, Declaring a National Energy Emergency. These changes prioritize rapid approvals for…
Trump Administration Advances First Wave of Critical Mineral Projects Under Expedited Permitting
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
The Trump administration has unveiled the first 10 mining projects designated for accelerated federal permitting under Executive Order 14157, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production, which prioritizes expedited permitting, federal land leasing, and funding of mining projects (discussed in our…
Trump Administration Accelerates Resolution Copper Mine Approval, Advancing Domestic Mineral Agenda
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
Following President Trump’s March 20, 2025, Executive Order (“EO”) 14157, “Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production” (discussed in our blogpost here), and recent recognition of valid existing rights to continue mining for gold and rare earth elements at…
Department of the Interior Recognizes Colosseum Mine’s Continuing Right to Mine Gold and Explore for Rare Earth Elements
This week, the U.S. Department of the Interior (“DOI”) publicly confirmed the ongoing rights of Colosseum Rare Metals, Inc. (“CRM”) to continue mining operations at the Colosseum Mine, located within the Mojave National Preserve (“MOJA”) in San Bernardino County, California. …
President Trump’s March 20 Executive Order Bolsters Domestic Mineral Production Through Permitting, Leasing, and Funding
By Kerry Shapiro & Ha Chung
On the heels of President Trump’s January 20, 2025, Executive Order “Unleashing American Energy” promoting domestic energy and resource independence, he is promoting United States natural resources with Executive Order (“EO”) 14157, “Immediate Measure to Increase American Mineral Production,” issued…