Bipartisan members of the House yesterday introduced legislation intended to boost mineral diplomacy and counter China's global minerals dominance. The Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies – or DOMINANCE ACT focuses on US work with international partners to develop supply chains for critical minerals through the Minerals Security Partnership.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is calling on tech companies to advocate with the President to compromise with Democrats who want to lift a pause on wind and solar projects in order to restart permitting reform talks. But even as Democrats are calling for them to enter the debate, representatives for the Data Centers say they've been advocating in favor of permitting all along. A representative for the Data Center Coalition said, in part, quote, "It's a pretty simple equation. The time it takes to build a data center and the time it takes to build new energy infrastructure is just mismatched in this country, so our priority lies in trying to minimize that delta as much as possible."

And questions around the independence of the Fed, let to another historic day for gold and silver prices yesterday, with both setting new records.

The Wall Street Journal looks at the ways that surging copper demand is driving mining mergers and deals, as the world becomes more concerned that demand will soon exceed supply.

Following up on a minerals deal signed between Australia and the US in October, representatives from Australia will join other allies in Washington this week to brief them on plans for its critical minerals strategic reserve, which will initially prioritize shoring up supplies of antimony, gallium and rare earth elements to meet the needs of makers of fighter jets, semiconductors and other technologies.

In related news, the US is hosting a gathering of G-7 ministers to discuss rare earths this week, underscoring the shared push to develop alternative supplies in an industry dominated by China.

In addition to Australia, the discussions are expected to include officials from Canada, South Korea, India, Mexico, the European Union and Japan, and focus on critical raw materials and the security of global supply chains.

Congress, under the leadership of Representative Pete Stauber, is working to overturn the Biden administration's ban on new mining in minerals rich areas of Minnesota. Stauber plans to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution as soon as today that would reverse the Biden withdrawal and bar future administrations from implementing a similar policy.

White House trade lead Peter Navarro said yesterday that he believes American industrial breakthroughs will help boost US domestic production of minerals and eliminate China's market dominance of rare earths, and he noted that this is a priority for the administration.

And looking at industry news, Rio Tinto and Glencore are reportedly in talks about a deal that could create the world's largest mining company with a market value of more than $200 billion. A potential combination of the two companies was first reported a year ago.

China's up to its same old tricks – reminding the world of the chokehold it has on the world's rare earths supply chains. It is now limiting rare earths exports to Japan, impacting its ability to produce components for global chip makers, and the auto and defense industries. The move is reportedly in retaliation for comments by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae suggesting the country could become involved in a conflict over Taiwan. All the more reason for us in the US to double down on developing our own domestic supply chains.

And in Congress, yesterday the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing that suggested that nuclear power could be one of Washington's few areas getting bipartisan support.

And finally the House is on track to pass bipartisan spending bills for the Department of Energy, the Interior Department, EPA and other agencies today. If the House passes the "minibus," it could be up with the Senate next week. This is all part of the push to avoid another government shutdown after Jan. 30.

While world events may have shifted the headlines a bit this week, here in the nation's capital, groups are gathering to keep the spotlight squarely on permitting reform, engaging in a "Legislative Day of Action" to help advance meaningful, durable legislation to modernize our nation's permitting processes.

The National Mining Association will be there, and our President and CEO will speak at a 1 p.m. Eastern press conference alongside congressional leaders, including Congressman Bruce Westerman, and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Data Center Coalition and more.

But when it comes to permitting, you'll recall in December that some Senate Democrats said they would stall talks until the administration lifted its pause on offshore wind. Now it seems they're expanding their list of demands. On Tuesday, Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich said he would also continue the pause on permitting talks until Interior Secretary Doug Burgum lifts an unofficial pause on solar energy projects as well.

Finally, as the President restarts discussions around U.S. interests in Greenland, outlets around the world are looking at the country's rare earths and mining potential.

The Department of Energy announced it is awarding $2.7 billion in funding to three companies to increase domestic uranium enrichment.

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has sought to reinvigorate the United States' nuclear energy industry and move away from foreign sources of nuclear fuel.

And Axios writes there seems to be a common thread emerging with President Trump's aggressive stance towards Venezuela, Greenland and other Western hemisphere players: critical minerals.

Along with tapping Venezuela's massive oil reserves, administration officials say developing the country's rare-earth minerals could help stabilize Venezuela's finances and help the U.S. blunt China's mineral stranglehold.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Air Force One, Venezuela has "all the critical minerals. They have a great mining history that's gone rusty."

And turning back home, the U.S. is now exporting more LNG than any other nation ever, with exports jumping 25% just last year. With export capacity set to grow dramatically over the remainder of the decade, the impact on domestic natural gas prices and power prices is a dynamic to watch closely.

Congress had a nice long break for the holidays and now it's back to business. Top of mind for many is permitting reform, with negotiations taking place in the midst of the potential for another government shutdown on Jan. 30.

While US support of Mining projects here at home tends to increase interest and support for those projects, Canadians reportedly don't want U.S. involvement in their mining projects. A story today looks at a proposed graphite mine in Canada which is facing increased opposition due, in part, to the Department of War's support of the project. As one project opponent said, "Suddenly, the main big investor is the American army, who need a lot of graphite. People (now) want that even less."

Finally, a surge in data center build out and battery storage needs has also boosted the demand outlook for lithium this year. The lithium market struggled with oversupply for the last several years, but this year is expected to mark a turnaround as China's power sector helped to fuel stronger than expected demand for lithium in the second half of 2025.

The Department of Energy this week issued an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal plant operational to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The order will keep Unit 1 at the Craig Station in Craig, Colorado, online to ensure grid reliability.

So why is the Trump administration making these moves?

Well, the Wall Street Journal has a cautionary piece on the missteps in the UK that led to an electricity crunch and high electricity prices. While the country raced to lead in the installation of solar and wind, and raced to shut down its coal plants, it failed to make the necessary transmission upgrades to move the energy around. The result? Electricity bills that are among the highest in the world and a grid that is teetering on the edge.

And as the US looks at the missteps and successes of other countries around the world, The New York Times has a piece on China's six decade long campaign to dominate the world's rare earths markets.

Winter has arrived. And regional electricity grids are ramping up generation to meet high demand. Electricity prices in some regions are already soaring. But not everywhere. Notably, there's a sharp divide emerging on affordability between the grids that have access to coal generation and those that don't. When bitter cold recently descended across much of the country, prices in New England and New York soared while prices on the PJM grid, and, notably, the MISO grid covering much of the Midwest, largely shrugged off the cold. On the MISO grid – the only of the four where coal capacity still shoulders the majority of winter power demand – prices remained remarkably low. In fact, prices in New England were ten times higher. For both energy affordability and grid reliability, dispatchable fuel optionality is key. The lack of optionality in New York and New England – where both grids have eliminated their coal capacity – is proving a woefully expensive mistake. That's your mining minute for this morning. Tune in for more from NMA TV.

This has certainly been the year of mining. Minerals—and securing access to them—have been in the headlines on a daily basis, with the Administration and Congress keenly focused on America's minerals future. From executive orders to agency actions, the creation of the National Energy Dominance Council to investments and financing for a wide range of mining projects, the administration and policymakers have supercharged a new era of minerals independence and supply chain strength. The Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection agency and Department of Energy all focused on cutting regulatory barriers, while the USGS expanded the Critical Minerals List and the Department of War made good use of Defense Production Act funds. And thanks to the FAST41 program and NEPA improvements, more than 50 projects are now benefitting from new transparency in the permitting process. The message? mineral security is key to America's economic strength, energy dominance and national security agenda. As we move into 2026, we need to ensure that the improvements that have been made are lasting, and an important way to do that is by Congress enacting comprehensive permitting reform.