US President Donald Trump's administration will fast-track approval of 10 mining projects across the United States, according to a White House announcement on Friday. The move is part of Trump’s plan to boost domestic production of important minerals like copper, antimony, and lithium, Reuters reported. The selected projects have been given FAST-41 status - a special federal programme started in 2015 to speed up approval for key infrastructure developments. According to the White House, more projects will be added to the list in the future. “These projects are now listed on a public federal website, allowing anyone to track how their permits are progressing,” the White House said in a statement quoted by Reuters. “This transparency leads to greater accountability, ensuring a more efficient process.” The 10 projects include: An antimony and gold mine in Idaho by Perpetua Resources A copper mine in Arizona by Rio Tinto A copper and silver mine in Montana by Hecla Mining An expansion of Albemarle’s lithium mine in Nevada A lithium extraction project in Arkansas by Standard Lithium A metallurgical coal project in Alabama by Warrior Met Coal Also included is South32’s Hermosa zinc-manganese mine in Arizona, which was first given FAST-41 status under former President Joe Biden, making it the first mine to benefit from this special treatment, according to Reuters. This announcement follows Trump’s earlier order this week to investigate possible new tariffs on all US imports of critical minerals. This marks a sharp step up in Trump’s trade dispute with countries like China, which leads the world in mineral processing.
