The Trump administration has moved to expedite permitting for ten mining projects across the US as part of a broader effort to boost domestic production of critical minerals and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.

The selected projects – spanning copper, lithium, gold, potash, and coal – include developments by participants such as Rio Tinto, Hecla Mining, Albemarle, Warrior Met Coal and Perpetua Resources. 

They represent the first wave of initiatives under President Donald Trump’s recent executive order aimed at increasing American mineral production.

Projects greenlit for fast-track permitting include Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper project in Arizona, Perpetua’s Stibnite gold project in Idaho, Albemarle’s Silver Peak lithium mine in Nevada, and Warrior Met Coal’s Alabama operations. 

Also on the list are the McDermitt lithium exploration project, Caldwell Canyon phosphate project, Libby and Lisbon Valley copper projects, the South West Arkansas bromine project, and the Michigan potash development.

The projects have been added to the federal permitting dashboard under the FAST-41 programme, providing increased transparency and accountability in the federal environmental review process. This marks the first use of the council’s transparency authority under the critical minerals directive.

"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 acting executive director at the permitting council, Manisha Patel.

The designation makes permitting timelines and review milestones for each project publicly available.

Resolution Copper said that it appreciated the federal government's recognition of the role domestic copper production played in supporting national security, manufacturing, and economic resilience. 

"There is growing recognition of the urgent need to develop domestic sources of copper and other critical materials to support the nation's energy security and industrial base," said Resolution Copper general manager Vicky Peacey. "We are committed to playing a meaningful role in helping to deliver these materials and will continue to engage constructively in the national dialogue." 

Peacey said Resolution remained committed to an inclusive, and respectful collaborative process that incorporates feedback from local communities, Tribal Nations and all stakeholders. 

"More than a decade of extensive consultation and collaboration with Native American Tribes and local communities has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on cultural interests, and this ongoing dialogue will continue to shape the project," said Peacey.

Meanwhile, Perpetua president and CEO Jon Cherry said that being recognised as a transparency project by the White House underscored the strategic value of the Stibnite gold project, which is uniquely positioned to supply the critical mineral antimony – essential to national security and energy technology.

He said that Trump's executive order was right to recognise that if the US was going to compete against China, it had to deploy federal tools to even the playing field for domestic mining projects. 

"Defense Production Act Title III awards, the US Export-Import Bank's China Transformational Exports Programme and Make More in America initiative, and other programmes that extend capital for critical mineral production can help meaningfully push back against China's attempts to clinch global control over critical minerals," Cherry stated.

The Stibnite gold project is poised to produce gold and the only domestically mined source of antimony. With China's recent ban on antimony exports to the US, the project represents a crucial step toward restoring American supply chain resilience. The Stibnite gold project could supply up to 35% of US antimony demand during its initial six years of production, based on the 2023 US Geological Survey antimony commodity summary.

The final federal decision, the US Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Act 404 permit, is on track for a decision in the second quarter.

Meanwhile, Australia-based Jindalee CEO Ian Rodger said that being included among the first ten FAST-41 transparency projects validated the McDermitt lithium project's strategic importance to US mineral security.

The McDermitt project hosts one of the largest lithium resources in the US, positioning it as a potentially significant contributor to the country’s clean energy transition and domestic battery supply chain.