Immediate Measures To Increase American Mineral Production
The order directs all federal agencies involved in mineral permitting to immediately compile pending applications and fast-track approvals, identifies federal lands for private mineral leasing, and delegates Defense Production Act financing authorities to the Secretary of Defense and the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation.
It invokes the national energy emergency declared in January 2025 to waive statutory prerequisites for those delegations, positioning domestic mineral production — from mining through processed components — as a national security priority with multiple required actions inside 45 days.
What this order does
What it orders
The order directs every federal agency involved in mineral permitting to submit lists of pending applications to the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) Chair within 10 days, then jointly identify projects that can be immediately approved. The Secretary of the Interior must list all federal lands holding known mineral deposits within 10 days and prioritize mining as their primary use. Four cabinet secretaries must identify federal lands suitable for leasing to private commercial mineral producers. The order also delegates Defense Production Act (DPA) authority — normally held by the President — to both the Secretary of Defense and the CEO of the Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to finance and fund domestic mineral production, waiving several statutory eligibility requirements by invoking the January 2025 national energy emergency.
The order further directs the Export-Import Bank to release mineral financing program guidance, the Small Business Administration to prepare legislative recommendations for small-business mineral financing, and national-security financing agencies to rescind application requirements tied to Regulation S-K Part 1300 disclosures. A dedicated domestic mineral investment fund is proposed but requires approval from the Secretary of Defense, DFC CEO, and the President's National Security Adviser before it can be implemented. The order does not itself approve any specific permit, change any land designation, or modify any regulation; all downstream impacts depend on subsequent agency actions and leasing agreements.
Who it affects
Private mining and mineral processing companies seeking federal permits or financing, investors pairing capital with domestic mineral projects, small businesses in the mineral sector, federal agencies managing permitting and public lands, and defense and finance agencies newly holding delegated DPA authorities.
Why it matters
Mining companies gain a compressed federal permitting timeline, new access to federal land leases, and eligibility for DPA-backed loans and guarantees. Businesses applying for national-security mineral financing no longer face Regulation S-K Part 1300 disclosure requirements. Defense contractors and technology manufacturers that depend on domestic mineral supply chains may see more predictable sourcing.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
Agencies report pending permit applications to the NEDC Chair within 10 days; the NEDC Chair then flags priority projects and submits them to the Permitting Council, which must publish expedited-review schedules within 15 days of receiving that list. The Secretary of Defense and DFC CEO receive self-executing DPA delegations immediately, subject to consultation requirements and OMB credit guidelines. A proposed dedicated mineral investment fund requires three-party sign-off before any money moves. Agencies must also rescind their S-K Part 1300 application policies, though no hard deadline is specified for that step.
Actions and deadlines
- Each permitting agency submits list of all pending mineral production permit applications to NEDC Chair
- Each permitting agency identifies priority projects for immediate approval in coordination with NEDC Chair
- Secretary of the Interior identifies and submits list of all federal lands with known mineral deposits
- NEDC Chair submits mineral production projects to Permitting Council for inclusion on the Permitting Dashboard
- Permitting Council Executive Director publishes selected projects and establishes expedited review schedules
- NEDC Chair issues request for information to solicit industry feedback on regulatory bottlenecks
- NEDC Chair and Director of Office of Legislative Affairs submit Mining Act of 1872 reform recommendations to the President
- Four cabinet secretaries identify federal land sites suitable for leasing to private mineral production enterprises
- Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy coordinate with SBA and other agencies on financing options for private mineral lessees
- Secretary of Defense adds mineral production as a priority industrial capability development area for the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program
- CEO of DFC and Secretary of Defense develop and propose a plan for a dedicated domestic mineral investment fund
- Export-Import Bank President releases program guidance for mineral and mineral production financing tools
- Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy convenes mineral buyers and works toward a request for bids
- SBA Administrator prepares and submits legislative recommendations to enhance private-public capital for small businesses in mineral production