Bruce Westerman

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. S. 550, introduced by then-Senator Mullin and championed by Chairman Cole in this Chamber provides a narrow pathway for the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma to bring its treaty-based land claim related to certain lands in Illinois before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. Now located in Oklahoma, the Tribe was originally based in the Great Lakes and Midwest region. The 1805 Treaty of Grouseland recognized the Miami Tribe's title to lands in the Wabash River watershed and ensured that the U.S. would not purchase portions of that territory without Tribal consent. In the decades that followed, additional treaties and Federal policies led to the large-scale cessions of the Tribe's land, including their historic homelands in Illinois. These lands are central to this legislation, as they were later patented to non-Native settlers without properly extinguishing Tribal title. This forms the basis of the Tribe's treaty-based claim. Congress enacted the Indian Claims Commission Act of 1946, which established the Indian Claims Commission, or ICC, to provide a forum for Tribes seeking monetary compensation for claims against the U.S. that predated August 13, 1946. The ICC did not restore land. Rather, it awarded monetary damages based on the land's value at the time of the taking. At the time of the ICC, the Miami Tribe preferred the return of the land in Illinois over cash awards. The Indian Claims Commission Act of 1946 required all claims to be filed within 5 years of enactment and barred late claims from being filed. The ICC ceased operations in 1978, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims assumed all remaining matters. This legislation provides a narrow jurisdictional pathway for the Miami Tribe to bring its treaty-based land claim before the U.S. Court of Federal Claims within 1 year of the enactment of this legislation. This legislation only authorizes monetary relief against the U.S. and precludes any equitable relief or recovery against private landowners. Finally, this legislation extinguishes the Tribe's remaining land and title claims to the specified Illinois lands. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for being a long-time champion of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), who is the lead sponsor of the House companion to this bill and who is the chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Cole for his remarks, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the bill (H.R. 1501) to amend the FAST Act to include certain mineral production activities as a covered project, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1501.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025, which extends FAST-41 eligibility to mining and mineral processing projects. I thank my colleague Representative Jefferson Shreve for introducing this important piece of legislation, which will bring much-needed efficiency and transparency to our domestic mining permitting process. On average, it takes 19 years to bring a new mine into operation in the United States. Permitting delays drive up costs, halt economic growth, stifle innovation, and increase our reliance on foreign adversaries. Since taking office, President Trump has moved swiftly to set America on a path to mineral dominance. President Trump's March 2025 Executive Order 14241 entitled: ``Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production'' identified mining as a priority for national security and directed the Permitting Council to publish additional mining projects to its FAST-41 dashboard. Under this administration, the Permitting Council has published 60 additional mining projects on the FAST-41 dashboard. Mr. Speaker, 22 mining projects and counting have completed the Federal permitting process under the dashboard. I will say, yesterday that was 21. They just completed another project this morning. This impressive record stands in stark contrast to the Biden administration, which over 4 years, did not complete a single Federal permitting process for a mining project through FAST-41. Permitting efficiency is crucial to building critical infrastructure projects. Extending FAST-41 eligibility to mining projects would help meet our Nation's increased demand for energy and mineral resources, and it would provide greater certainty for the domestic mining industry. It is not enough to just mine here at home. Our country also needs mineral processing capabilities to secure our domestic mineral supply chain. Crucially, this bill extends FAST-41 eligibility to both mining and mineral processing projects. We must have a comprehensive mineral strategy that engages and bolsters the entire supply chain. Developing domestic processing capabilities encourages the onshoring of industrial sectors and strengthens domestic supply chains from mining to manufacturing. H.R. 1501 would also prohibit any future administration from finalizing or implementing the Biden-era proposed rule to narrow FAST- 41 coverage to only critical mineral mining projects. Narrowing FAST-41 eligibility in this manner would further increase our country's dependence on foreign nations and adversaries for mineral production. The U.S. Geological Survey annually publishes the ``Mineral Commodity Summaries'' that provide astonishing data on our net import reliance of certain minerals. The report, which is illustrated behind me, highlights our Nation's overwhelming reliance on foreign sources of minerals, including from adversarial nations. If you look at this list, and I know the print is small, the major supplier for most of these critical minerals is China. Mr. Speaker, we need these minerals to build a better future. We have the safest, most sophisticated, efficient, and environmentally friendly mining technology in the world, and we also have the workforce to match it. The United States should be leading the world's mineral supply chain. Representative Shreve's legislation is an important step in strengthening domestic production, securing supply chains, and ensuring that America leads the way. I thank Representative Shreve again for his work on this legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would say that my colleague just made the case for why we need this bill. As I have testified, the Trump administration has 60 projects on the dashboard. They have completed 22 projects. The previous administration completed zero projects under FAST-41. Both administrations had access to use the FAST-41 process, but some administrations choose not to use the process. These mining projects now take an average of 19 years to permit. That is down from 29 to 30 years just a few years ago because we have seen projects permitted more quickly under this administration. Our need for critical minerals and mining spans administrations. We need certainty in the process so that we can access the supplies of ore that we have here in the United States to meet our own demands. If we start playing political permitting ping-pong from one administration to the next, that gives no certainty to investors in America to use our own materials. That is exactly why we need to codify this, so that it gives everybody a fair shot to use the process. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Shreve), the lead sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I will, again, point out no Tribal consultation and no environmental laws are waived. This is just a process to fast-track permitting. Also, I point out that when the ranking member talked about any old sand or gravel mine, that sand and gravel--gravel and then sand are the two main ingredients in concrete with Portland cement being the third, which is another product that we rely on about 20 percent of imports. Concrete is the main ingredient in housing and in public infrastructure. The cost of concrete affects the cost of housing and public infrastructure projects. It affects Americans. If we want to address high costs, we should be opening more of these sand and gravel mines and producing more Portland cement here so that we can have more supply and lower the costs here at home. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber), who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the following letters of support from the American Exploration & Mining Association, Essential Minerals Association, National Association of Manufacturers, and National Mining Association. American Exploration & Mining Association, Spokane Valley, WA, August 31, 2026. Re Support for the Protecting Domestic Mining Act (H.R. 1501). Hon. Mike Johnson, Speaker, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Hakeem Jeffries, Minority Leader, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries: The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) very much appreciated the opportunity to testify on February 24, 2026, before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources in support of H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, which codifies mining as a covered sector under Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. We reiterate our strong support for the legislation and encourage House passage of H.R. 1501. AEMA is a 131-year-old, 1,800-member national trade association representing the minerals industry with members residing in 46 U.S. states. AEMA is the recognized national voice for exploration, the junior mining sector, and maintaining access to public lands, and represents the entire mining life cycle, from exploration to reclamation and closure. More than 80 percent of our members are small businesses or individuals who work for small businesses. AEMA members experience the challenges associated with the federal permitting process every day, and they are significantly impacted by permitting decisions from an array of federal agencies. They also live and play in the communities where they work. Mining in America is the most environmentally responsible mining industry in the world. Miner safety and workers' rights are the top priority, and our members take great pride in responsibly producing the minerals and metals America needs. A mantra that is often repeated for many sectors of our economy, including mining, is the need for certainty. It is the uncertainty created by policies and debates over the past several decades that has caused mining investment to flee this country. To attract that investment, companies need to know what the rules are, that they can have the security of tenure needed to explore for and develop mining deposits, and that they can get through the permitting process in a reasonable timeframe. As a Nation, we have acknowledged the urgency of increasing domestic mineral production, strengthening our supply chains, and reducing our reliance on foreign minerals. Because it often takes two or three decades to get from exploration to production, minimizing the land access and permitting obstacles that impede domestic exploration and mining is imperative. Congress and the administration have been very clear that they want to see all types of mineral projects move more efficiently through the Federal permitting process so that they can be developed to meet our essential economic, energy, and national security needs. The predictability, transparency and certainty of the FAST-41 process encourages more mines to move through the process. According to the U.S. Geological Survey's Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, our country's import dependence for key mineral commodities has skyrocketed over the past three decades, with the United States now 100 percent import reliant for 16 mineral commodities and greater than 50 percent import reliant for another 38 commodities. That import reliance exists even though we have significant mineral deposits of many of these commodities within our borders. This mineral dependency comes with serious consequences. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and Chinese dominance of minerals markets have laid bare the vulnerabilities that exist in critical U.S. supply chains, including our reliance on imported minerals. While the United States was pursuing policies over the past several decades that discouraged mineral exploration and mine development, China was methodically making strategic global investments in mining, mineral processing, manufacturing products like battery components and batteries made from minerals, and educating mining professionals. Today, China dominates the world's mineral supplies and products, and the human resources required to mine and process minerals. Consequently, the United States now faces a minerals emergency that poses serious economic and national security threats. FAST-41 was enacted to improve the timeliness, predictability, transparency, and accountability of the Federal environmental review and authorization processes for covered infrastructure projects. The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC) voted to include mining as a covered sector in January 2020 and finalized a rulemaking confirming that decision in January 2021. It is important to note that the streamlining of the mine- permitting process does not equate to reducing environmental protections. In fact, FAST-41 coverage does not predetermine or affect the outcome of any Federal decision-making process with respect to a covered project, nor modify any required environmental review or public or tribal consultation process. Beyond mining, current FAST-41 sectors include renewable and conventional energy production, electricity transmission, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource projects, broadband, pipelines, and manufacturing. It is important to remember that mining stands at the front of the supply chain for these and nearly every sector of our economy. In fact, in its July 2024 critical minerals report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) illustrated that critical minerals are essential to five key sectors: aerospace, defense, energy, telecommunications and electronics, and transportation. The Permitting Council's 2020 vote to include mining as a covered sector clearly recognized that mining projects almost always involve the complex permitting processes that FAST-41 was designed to facilitate. It is great that the Permitting Council voted to include mining in FAST-41 and followed that vote with a rule. However, that decision can easily be rescinded by a subsequent rule, as we saw with a proposal from the prior administration to limit mining's eligibility for FAST-41. Enacting H.R. 1501 and codifying mining as a covered sector under FAST-41 will send a positive signal to the investment community that the United States is serious about increasing domestic mineral production. FAST-41 provides a pathway to reduce permitting inefficiencies while retaining our world- class environmental protections, and it must be available to the entire mineral mining sector. We look forward to working constructively with Congress to ensure that Made in America includes ``mined in America,'' and sourcing minerals from U.S. mines that use state-of-the- art environmental protection measures, put a premium on worker health and safety, and are committed to the communities in which they operate. Sincerely, Mark Compton, Executive Director.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I would note that Congress has already addressed this issue of foreign ownership through previous legislation, and it has passed well-considered restrictions on Chinese ownership. The amendment that was offered would create an ambiguous standard that could inadvertently prevent non-Chinese publicly traded companies from mining domestically. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, already reviews foreign investments in American businesses to assess any national security risks. Mr. Speaker, if you support our domestic supply of critical minerals, this bill provides the regulatory certainty necessary to strengthen domestic mineral supply chains. If you support weakening China's global control over minerals, then I would say join us in voting for the Protecting Domestic Mining Act. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Moore).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Owens).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, in closing, this administration has sent a clear message that we must support our domestic miners and processors. This legislation isn't about our current administration. There is a bit of illogic in the minority's argument. On one hand, they say: Why do we need this legislation, because the administration already has the authority to do projects under FAST-41. They are exactly right, just as the Biden administration had authority to do projects under FAST-41. Anything this administration has been doing to permit mining projects, they can still do, whether we pass this bill today or not. This is about the future of mining in our country. This is about giving people certainty that if they go through the process to build a project, they will be able to invest and get a return on that project to supply those critical minerals and other mined products that are important to our country. It has also been said that the Permitting Council doesn't have the bandwidth to do more projects. The Permitting Council has testified that they are: ``well situated to bring in additional projects and continue to show that FAST-41 works for projects of all shapes and sizes.'' The bottom line is that supporting our mining industry is foundational to our economic and our national security. For the United States to reestablish American leadership in the mining sector, it is crucial that we pass this legislation to secure our mineral supply chains. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1501, the Protecting Domestic Mining Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1499, I call up the bill (H.R. 9436) to amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 to extend the time period for which certain regulations concerning the North Atlantic right whale are effective, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 9436.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 9436, the Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act, which will protect one of the world's most iconic fisheries and the American jobs, communities, and families that depend on it. In Maine, lobster accounts for 75 percent of the total value of the State's commercial fisheries, supporting an estimated $2 billion in economic activity and 17,500 jobs. While critical to the State's economy, a robust lobster industry isn't just about dollars and cents. It is about individuals, families, and communities whose stories and traditions are directly tied to this industry that has operated for more than 70 years. However, Maine lobstermen have faced tremendous adversity over the past several decades. The American lobster fishery has been under attack from radical groups determined to end this way of life. These serial litigants have pushed for a regulatory regime that could shut down the entire fishery. For nearly 30 years, the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team has overseen the Maine lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. They have implemented and updated a take reduction plan with extensive regulatory requirements designed to minimize the fishery's impact on North Atlantic right whales. What they are doing is working. For decades, the industry has led conservation efforts to reduce right whale entanglements in their gear. Despite the American lobster fishery virtually eliminating its impact on right whales, the take reduction plan has faced repeated litigation, leaving the industry subject to regulatory whiplash. The American lobster fishery has been subject to four different biological opinions between 2010 and 2021, with ever more draconian restrictions. When the National Marine Fisheries Service issued its most recent biological opinion in 2021, unsurprisingly, the radical groups remained dissatisfied and continued to litigate. At the same time, Maine's Democratic Governor, Janet Mills, and the lobster industry argued that NOAA failed to utilize the best available science. Facing new regulations that threatened to shut down the entire fishery, the Maine delegation worked on a bipartisan basis in December 2022 to enact a regulatory pause for the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries. This pause provided ESA and MMPA coverage for the American lobster and Jonah crab fisheries through 2028, providing the State and the industry more time to develop new gear innovations, prudent conservation measures, and conduct more research on the fishery's interactions with right whales. Since then, the State of Maine, the industry, and other scientific and research bodies have made progress, investing more than $90 million in research. However, it is clear that more time is needed to gather the necessary data and incorporate it into final regulations. Representative Lawler's bill would provide MMPA and ESA coverage for these fisheries through 2035, providing the necessary time to get these regulations right without the threat of more frivolous litigation. I thank Representative Lawler for carrying this legislation, and also I recognize the gentleman from Maine, Representative Jared Golden, for his tireless leadership on this issue. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), who is the lead sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a link to letters of support from the State of Maine Department of Marine Resources, the National Fisheries Institute, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association, Maine Lobstermen's Association, Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, Atlantic Offshore Lobstermen's Association, New Hampshire Commercial Fishermen's Association, and the Lobster Advisory Council: Https:// naturalresources.house.gov/uploadedfiles/binder1. pdf Mr. Speaker, I will say that what is happening in Maine is working. We should be celebrating this. We have seen a slight 2.1-percent increase in the population of right whales over the past 4 years. There has been one right whale death in the last, I think, 20 to 25 years attributed to Maine fishing gear. This is an example of how government and industry can work together to protect the fishery, plus continue this economic activity. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Ms. Hageman), the chair for the Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, NOAA is in the process of building out an acoustic network that can provide near real-time whale locations along the entire East Coast. Meanwhile, NOAA has contracted with a private company to evaluate 11 technologies that have real potential to reduce threats to whales and identify their locations in real time. While several of these are fully mature, many promising technologies are close but need more time. My colleagues across the aisle would have you believe that the only solution is immediate deployment of ropeless gear, which creates unnecessary safety risks for lobstermen. We can protect America's lobstermen and the right whale. This bill strikes the right balance. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich), who represents our country's largest and most productive fishery.

Mr. WESTERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am confused by arguments coming from the left. They started off today talking about high prices and the cost of food. What is their solution? They want to shut down another U.S. industry. They want to shut down seafood production. We are already 80 percent dependent on foreign imports. Their solution is to reduce penalties on Canada and other countries that are our seafood suppliers, shut down 17,500 American jobs, shut down a $2 billion industry in the State of Maine, and ship more of our money overseas to other countries and let them supply our seafood. They don't have near the protections that we have for our other species. There is a lot of flawed logic in the argument that they are trying to make. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Golden), who understands Maine lobster fisheries more than anybody else probably in this town.