SW Arkansas Times

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources convened a legislative hearing to discuss four bills aimed at enhancing domestic mineral production, expediting land appeals processes, and facilitating a land transfer for the Crow Tribe of Montana. Subcommittee Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) expressed his support for these initiatives.

"America has the opportunity not only to be critical mineral independent, but also critical mineral dominant," Stauber stated. He emphasized the importance of reducing reliance on foreign sources for minerals essential to various industries in the United States.

The proposed legislation includes H.R. 7807, known as the Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.). This bill seeks to establish a task force to promote cooperation among federal, state, local governments, and industry representatives to lessen dependence on adversarial nations for critical minerals.

Another bill under consideration is H.R. 8952, titled the Crow Revenue Act, introduced by U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.). It proposes transferring approximately 4,600 acres of private subsurface inholdings from Hope Family Tracts on the Crow Reservation to the Crow Tribe of Montana. In return, the Hope Family Trust would receive federal subsurface and surface interests totaling about 5,470 acres.

H.R. 1005, or the Expedited Appeals Review Act introduced by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), aims to streamline processes within the Interior Board of Land Appeals for resolving public lands and natural resources disputes.

Lastly, H.R. 7662 is called the Critical Minerals Security Act of 2024 and was introduced by U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.). This bill mandates that the Department of the Interior provide Congress with reports detailing global mineral supply chains and develop strategies with allied countries for advanced mining technologies and intellectual property sharing.

These legislative efforts are part of a broader strategy to bolster domestic capabilities in critical mineral production while ensuring efficient management of public lands.