As the threat of a government shutdown looms, it's another busy week on Capitol Hill.
Let's take a closer look at what's at stake for mining this week:
The House Natural Resources Committee will debate an extremely important bill this week: the "Mining Regulatory Clarity Act." The bill addresses a flawed legal opinion that upended decades of accepted practice and legal precedent when it comes to mining, and has negatively impacted the business certainty that companies need to pursue mining projects in the U.S. The bill would return to established practice and legal precedent, allowing the necessary land use for operations that support mining. a
The committee will also consider Representative Pete Stauber's H.R. 4090, which would codify certain presidential orders on mining and mineral development, authorizing federal agencies to fast-track certain "priority" mining projects and exploration on federal lands.
Also in the House, a vote is set for the "Guaranteeing Reliability through the Interconnection of Dispatchable Power – or GRID Act," which would allow energy projects deemed most reliable to bypass long interconnection queues.
And a vote is set on the "National Coal Council Reestablishment Act," which would exempt the National Coal Council from the federal requirement that advisory committees' charters must be renewed every two years. The National Coal Council was dismantled by President Biden but reestablished by the Trump administration.
Outside of Congress, the voices in favor of the Resolution Copper Project continue to line up. The Wall Street Journal has an editorial from former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr who calls the legal claims of those who oppose the project, "reckless legal theories and false narratives."
