Panel OKs mineral, grazing and national park bills

The House Natural Resources Committee cleared legislation to clarify how the government labels certain minerals as critical.

February 12, 2026

The nation's critical minerals would land on a new kind of list under legislation approved by the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday.

The committee approved by voice vote an amended version of H.R. 755, the "Critical Mineral Consistency Act," from Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), designed to align the U.S. Geological Survey's list of critical minerals with a separate list maintained by the Department of Energy.

During the Biden administration, the USGS critical mineral list did not include copper, but DOE's list did. Last November, the USGS added copper to its roster.

A critical mineral designation by the USGS makes the industry eligible for benefits that include federal grants and streamlined permitting.

Under federal law, a critical mineral is a "non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption."

Under an amendment offered by Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.), DOE and the USGS would retain their lists, but there would also be a new critical minerals and materials list combining each agency's version.

Democrats opposed previous iterations of the legislation, saying the mining industry wanted to get financial and permitting benefits for minerals that didn't need them.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year approved a companion from Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

New national park

The House Natural Resources panel voted 20-17 to advance H.R. 5497, authored by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), to upgrade the existing Apostle Islands National Lakeshore to a national park.

The national lakeshore spans 69,540 acres and includes 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland shoreline along Lake Superior. The area is known for its collection of underwater shipwrecks and lighthouses.

"It truly is the crowning jewel of our great state of Wisconsin, and there is no place in America like the Apostle Islands," Tiffany said, adding that "now, by elevating the Apostle Islands from a national lakeshore to a national park, we can ensure that thousands of more people are able to visit this area."

Natural Resources ranking member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said that while he would like to support the new national park, he has heard from the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa that they had not been fully consulted.

"Members on our side would love to have new public land designations and new protections for our nation's special places, but let us honor our obligations to Tribal and local communities as we do that," Huffman said.

The committee rejected an amendment by Huffman that would have required formal tribal consultations before the new national park is designated.

Tiffany called the amendment unnecessary and enumerated a number of instances in which his office had engaged with tribal members.

Grazing spat

Committee members briefly wrangled over H.R. 6300, authored by Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.), to cover grazing operations on the nearly 4 million acres of national grasslands managed by the Forest Service.

Grazing permits on national forest lands last 10 years, with renewals subject to continued compliance with rules and regulations. While permits are also issued for grazing on grasslands, they do not include the same renewal provisions. Hageman's bill would put national grasslands grazing permits on the same basis as the permits for national forest lands.

"The bill will provide efficiency and clarity in the grazing permit process on grasslands," said Westerman.

Huffman cautioned that more information should be collected before permits are extended. The panel rejected 16-22 his amendment to have the Government Accountability Office study the issue.

"We ought to review these permits based on the land's actual conditions ... rather than just hand out automatic renewals on a wing and a prayer," Huffman said.

Other bills passed

The Natural Resources Committee also passed by voice vote:

  • H.R. 3922, from Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), to mandate a GAO review of programs or rules that may enable or inhibit wildfire mitigation across federal and nonfederal lands.
  • H.R. 4671, introduced by Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.), to increase assistance for family members of wildland firefighters injured or killed in the line of duty.
  • H.R. 3706, authored by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), to require a standard methodology for identifying the country of origin of seafood to support enforcement against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. A companion has already passed the Senate.
  • H.R. 5419, from Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), the “Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act," to direct the Interior and Agriculture departments to ensure quick permits for telecommunications equipment on public land.
  • H.R. 1352, authored by Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), to designate the General George C. Marshall House in Leesburg, Virginia, as an affiliated component of the National Park System.
  • H.R. 1945, authored by Rep. Robert Onder (R-Mo.), to elevate existing National Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri, to the status of national historic landmark.
  • H.R. 6380, from Ciscomani, to convert the 12,025-acre Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona into a national park. The national monument was established in 1924.

By:  Michael Doyle
Source: E&E Daily