Trump Administration Advances First Wave of Critical Mineral Production Projects

WASHINGTON (April 18, 2025) – Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced increased transparency, accountability, and predictability for the permitting review process for the first wave of critical mineral production projects—with many more projects on the way—in response to President Trump’s Executive Order, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. Identifying these transparency projects under the Permitting Council’s statutory program advances the President’s directive to take immediate action to facilitate domestic production of America’s vast mineral resources to create jobs, fuel prosperity, and significantly reduce our reliance on foreign nations. 

“This is the first use of the Permitting Council’s transparency authority, and we look forward to showcasing the many benefits the Federal Permitting Dashboard can bring to critical infrastructure projects as part of President Trump’s Executive Order on increasing American mineral production,” said Manisha Patel, Acting Executive Director at the Permitting Council. “The Federal Permitting Dashboard is a vital tool in enhancing interagency coordination and efficient decision making and will play an invaluable role in ensuring that these projects receive the most efficient review and authorization process possible in order to bring the benefits of next generation infrastructure to communities across the nation.” 

In response to the Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production Executive Order, the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) submitted the first in a series of lists of mineral production projects to be identified as transparency projects on the Federal Permitting Dashboard to the Permitting Council Acting Executive Director. This is just the beginning—many more projects are expected to be added to the list on a rolling basis over the next few weeks. Inclusion on the Permitting Dashboard as a transparency project makes the environmental review and authorizations schedule for these vital mineral production projects publicly available and allows all of these projects to benefit from increased transparency. The public nature of the dashboard ensures that all stakeholders, from project sponsors and community members to federal agency leaders have up-to-date accounting of where each project stands in the review process. This transparency leads to greater accountability, ensuring a more efficient process. 

Initial selected projects include:                                                                               

For further information about these projects, please visit Federal Permitting Dashboard’s Transparency Projects Tab. Learn more about the Permitting Council at permitting.gov.