House Passes Amodei’s Bill to Strengthen Domestic Mineral Supply Chain

Washington, D.C.- Today, the House of Representatives passed the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act of 2025, legislation introduced by Rep. Mark Amodei (NV-02) and co-led by Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04) to strengthen our national security and energy future by unleashing domestic mining production.

This bill restores regulatory clarity and stability for mining projects by establishing a new category of mill sites to ensure that operators can use federal lands for ancillary activities.

"Strengthening our domestic mineral supply chain isn't optional, it's demanded to ensure we don't fall further behind China," said Rep. Mark Amodei. "Western states are sitting on a wealth of resources and a critical opportunity to break our dangerous reliance on foreign adversaries while powering our own economy. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores decades of established precedent, repairs a permitting process undermined by the Rosemont decision, and gives domestic mining operations the certainty they need to compete aggressively and win. I'm glad to see the House pass this bill once again with bipartisan support, and I urge the Senate to act swiftly to get it signed into law. Additionally, I'd like to thank my colleague, Rep. Steven Horsford, for his support on this important Nevada issue."

"The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act restores regulatory certainty that was lost due to the misguided 2022 Rosemont decision," said House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman. "The bill reaffirms that mining support activities are an essential part of responsible mineral development. It encourages domestic mineral production at a moment when America's economy and national security depend on mining more than ever. I would like to thank Representative Amodei for his leadership on this important legislation."

"The bill I passed in Congress today puts Nevada's natural resources to work for Nevadans," Rep. Steven Horsford said."Streamlining the hardrock mining process will create good jobs and strengthen our energy sector. At the same time, this legislation delivers more resources for the Silver State to clean up past mining-related contaminants in our environment. The result is more jobs, a stronger economy, and an opportunity for a cleaner Nevada moving forward."

"The bipartisan Mining Regulatory Clarity Act is foundationally important to ensuring the U.S. can use our vast domestic resources to build the mineral supply chains our economic and national security demand," said Rich Nolan, National Mining Association president and CEO. "China has weaponized its mineral dominance and left no doubt about how untenable our import reliance has become. The urgency to address our minerals challenge has never been greater. This legislation ensures the fundamental ability to conduct responsible mining activities on federal lands. Regulatory certainty, or the lack thereof, will either underpin or undermine efforts to decisively confront our minerals crisis."

"The Nevada Mining Association supports the passage of the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act," said Amanda Hilton, Nevada Mining Association president. "This legislation offers clarity and represents an important step toward supporting Nevada's modern mining industry and strengthening domestic mineral production critical to national security, energy, transportation, and other essential needs."

Background

In 2022, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision revoking an approved mine plan of operation for the Rosemont Copper Mine in Arizona. The decision limits the Forest Service's ability to approve support activities necessary for conducting mining operations on federal land, upending over 40 years of regulatory and legal precedent. If allowed to stand, the Rosemont decision will thwart hardrock mining projects across federal lands, further jeopardizing domestic mineral supply chains, energy security, and national security.

H.R. 1366 is not targeted at any single mining site but instead seeks to restore the longstanding certainty needed for mine operations nationwide. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act provides needed regulatory clarity by creating a new category of mill sites for activities ancillary to mining that operators can include within the boundaries of an approved plan of operations.

The legislation also creates an "Abandoned Hardrock Mine Fund" to support the reclamation program established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Claim maintenance fees will be used to fund a program to inventory, assess, and remediate abandoned hardrock mine lands.