United States: Mining

The United States and Colombia have signed two bilateral agreements establishing frameworks for cooperation in critical minerals development and civil nuclear energy. These arrangements create potential opportunities for investment and collaboration in mining, energy infrastructure, and advanced technologies across the region.

On September 30, 2026, Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Ranking Member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee Chair Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ranking Member Martin Heinrich (D-NM) unveiled the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026 (BAAJA; S. 5653), a comprehensive permitting reform package aimed at accelerating approvals for energy, infrastructure, transmission, mining, manufacturing, and other major projects. The legislation represents the most significant bipartisan permitting reform effort in years and follows months of negotiations between Senate Republicans and Democrats.

On Sept. 30, 2026, Senate negotiators announced agreement on the text of the “Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026,” a long-awaited bill to reform and expedite federal environmental and energy permitting. The 417-page bill is the product of intensive negotiations among the chairs and ranking members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee that began early in the 119th Congress.

On August 6, 2026, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) within the U.S. Department of Commerce issued a “Temporary Final Rule” prohibiting exports of two materials—black mass from the initial stage of recycling lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and tungsten waste and scrap—without a license, adjustment, or exception issued by BIS.

The Trump Administration has revitalized federal financing programs with renewed urgency, particularly through the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF). With recent major announcements including a $17.5 billion commitment for nuclear reactors and comprehensive new guidance issued in May 2026, EDF presents significant opportunities for companies seeking debt financing for energy and critical minerals projects that align with administration priorities across nuclear, advanced geot

The US flat-rolled steel market reveals a critical disconnect between production capacity and actual material availability, creating unexpected financial pressures for industrial manufacturers. As hot-rolled coil constraints intensify due to trade policy shifts and infrastructure demands, procurement challenges are rapidly transforming into enterprise value issues that extend far beyond the purchasing department. Manufacturing leaders must now recognize that steel availability serves as an early warning sys

The Houston-based lawyer recently represented Mesabi Metallics in two major financing deals worth $670 million, to complete a plant that can produce direct-reduction-grade iron ore pellets — a growing segment of US steel production. She also led Mitsubishi’s $600 million stake in in Hudbay’s Copper World project. Here, Connors shares her thoughts on government investment in mining, permitting changes, and doing deal work from Texas.

Rising metal prices and renewed focus on domestic mineral supplies have spurred a resurgence in mining activity on federal lands across the West.

The Ohio Supreme Court has issued a significant ruling on whether a 1953 deed's reservation of "coal or other minerals of any vein" includes oil and gas rights. The decision examines how specific language choices and the absence of oil-and-gas-related terminology in deed reservations can determine the scope of mineral rights, potentially reshaping how courts interpret similar conveyances across the state.