GOP-Led Bill to Expand US Mining Passes House, Heads to Senate

The House Wednesday passed legislation aimed at expanding mining on federal lands in the US to counter China’s global dominance of critical minerals used in everything from defense equipment to cell phones.

The Republican-led bill (H.R. 4090) would codify parts of President Donald Trump’s executive actions on boosting domestic critical mineral extraction, production, and processing. It passed the House 224-195, with some Democratic support. It now heads to the Senate.

The move comes during a flurry of executive and legislative activity focused on boosting production and processing of critical minerals in the US and creating partnerships with foreign ...