{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2023/11/tillis-colleagues-warn-new-permitting-rule-endangers-america-s-mineral-needs-adds-red-tape", "Tillis, Colleagues Warn New Permitting Rule Endangers America\u2019s Mineral Needs, Adds Red Tape", "2023-11-08", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "NC", "Thom Tillis", "T000476", "www.tillis.senate.gov", "tillis", "https://www.tillis.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Senator Thom Tillis and his colleagues recently sent a letter to the executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) demanding the council rescind its proposal to limit the type of mining projects eligible for the improved permitting process established under Title 41 of the Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41).\n\nIn their letter, the senators warned the proposed rule will hinder mining permitting predictability and efficiency, threaten America\u2019s manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and national security needs, and further empower China\u2019s near-monopoly on the global supply of critical minerals.\n\n\u201cWe write to express our concerns regarding the proposed rule, \u2018Revising Scope of the Mining Sector of Projects That Are Eligible for Coverage Under Title 41 of the Fixing America\u2019s Surface Transportation Act.\u2019 The mining of all minerals is essential to the development of domestic infrastructure, and accordingly, it is imperative the FPISC ensure that all mining projects \u2013 for all minerals \u2013 are equally considered \u2018covered projects\u2019 for the purposes of FAST-41. Indeed, even the U.S. Department of the Interior\u2019s own \u2018Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting\u2019 did not suggest this change is needed in a report it recently released regarding recommendations to reform domestic mining policies,\u201d the senators wrote.\n\n\u201cThe nation needs these investments to match the increasing mineral demand necessary to support budding technologies, bolster domestic supply chains, and strengthen our nation's national defense to reduce our reliance on minerals from our geopolitical adversaries. While the global demand for critical minerals \u2018would require six times more mineral inputs in 2040 than today,\u2019 it should not be lost on FPISC the amount of other mined materials, such as crushed stone and gravel that are needed for domestic infrastructure,\u201d the senators continued.\n\n\u201cThank you for your attention to this matter. We urge FPISC to abandon this proposal and use its existing authority to actively support all mining infrastructure projects to unleash America's national supply chains and processing capabilities. We look forward to a response from you no later than November 30,\u201d the senators concluded.\n\nRead the full letter HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2023/11/tillis-colleagues-warn-new-permitting-rule-endangers-america-s-mineral-needs-adds-red-tape"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0665771551430225, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}