H.R. 4090

Critical Mineral Dominance Act

Sponsor: Pete Stauber · 2 cosponsors

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Official summary

Written by the Congressional Research Service.

Critical Mineral Dominance Act

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to address mineral supply chain vulnerabilities, including by accelerating and expanding mineral production on federal land (i.e., National Forest System land, public lands, and any land that may be leased for the exploration, development, or production of hardrock minerals).

Interior must (1) identify priority mining projects on federal lands that can be immediately approved, and (2) take all necessary and appropriate steps to expedite those projects.

Interior must also identify active, inactive, or proposed mining projects on federal land that have the potential to (1) increase production of hardrock minerals or their byproducts, (2) expand existing operations to include such byproducts, or (3) produce hardrock minerals from mine tailings or coal byproducts. 

Further, Interior must identify certain federal land with potential for hardrock mining. Interior must prioritize identifying land where a mining project (1) can most quickly be fully permitted and operational, and (2) would have the greatest potential effect on the robustness of the domestic mineral supply chain.

Interior must (1) suspend, revise, or rescind agency actions that place undue burdens on mining projects; (2) recommend changes to current law necessary to expand U.S. production of hardrock minerals; and (3) review state and local laws that impede development of domestic mining and mineral exploration projects.

Interior must also report on the dollar value and overall economic impact of the United States' reliance on imports of certain mineral commodities.

Finally, Interior must prioritize efforts to accelerate geologic mapping.

Text of the bill

Expand all
Sec. 8. Definitions Changed · Nov 25

Where this section came from

  1. Jun 23, 2025 · Introduced in House Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources, Jun 23
  2. Nov 25, 2025 · Reported in House Marked up by House Committee on Natural Resources, Sep 17 Reported by House Committee on Natural Resources, Nov 25 Committee members' individual votes aren't in our records.
What changed in the text

… 10 unchanged passages …

(iv) industrial metals minerals ; and

… 10 unchanged passages …

(3) Mining project. The term mining project means a project that involves the exploration for or development, extraction, or processing of a hardrock mineral. (4) Public lands. The term public lands has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702). ( 4 5 ) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

What is a markup?

A markup is a committee meeting where members go through a bill and vote on changes before sending it to the full chamber.

In this Act:

(1) Federal land. The term Federal land means—

(A) National Forest System land;

(B) public lands; and

(C) any land that may be leased for the exploration, development, or production of hardrock minerals.

(2) Hardrock mineral. The term hardrock mineral—

(A) includes deposits of—

(i) minerals found in sedimentary or other rocks;

(ii) base metals;

(iii) precious metals;

(iv) industrial minerals; and

(v) precious and semi-precious gemstones; and

(B) does not include deposits of—

(i) coal;

(ii) oil;

(iii) oil shale;

(iv) gas;

(v) sodium;

(vi) potassium;

(vii) sulfur; or

(viii) mineral materials subject to disposition under the Act of July 31, 1947, commonly known as the Materials Act of 1947 (30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.).

(3) Mining project. The term mining project means a project that involves the exploration for or development, extraction, or processing of a hardrock mineral.

(4) Public lands. The term public lands has the meaning given the term in section 103 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702).

(5) Secretary. The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.