The White House announced new mining projects to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign sources for critical minerals essential to defense and manufacturing.
These projects, part of Trump’s executive order to boost domestic mineral production, have been added to the Federal Permitting Dashboard under the FAST-41 transparency initiative to streamline permitting and increase oversight.
This expansion follows a recent U.S.–Ukraine agreement giving the U.S. access to Ukraine’s rare earth minerals in exchange for economic support. The deal includes creating a joint Reconstruction Investment Fund and targets key resources like titanium, uranium, lithium, and graphite—materials vital for weapons, energy, and EV production.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent emphasized the agreement’s role in promoting peace and economic recovery in Ukraine, while ensuring those tied to Russia’s war efforts will not benefit from reconstruction efforts.