United States: Mining

Minimal progress has been achieved towards a permanent settlement of conflict between the DRC and the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23. Fighting in the eastern Congo persists, and both sides continue to accuse...

Federal agencies are deploying equity and equity-linked capital instruments across the critical minerals sector, fundamentally reshaping how mining and processing projects are capitalized, governed and exited. This structural shift introduces new considerations for sponsors and strategic investors navigating transactions where national security priorities intersect with private capital formation.

President Trump has invoked Defense Production Act authorities to support energy infrastructure deemed essential to national defense, covering grid components, natural gas systems, coal supply chains, and petroleum capacity. The determinations create a legal pathway for the Department of Energy to deploy financial support mechanisms, though their practical impact will depend on funding availability and implementation decisions. The move has sparked debate over whether emergency authority is being appropriat

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.

Whilst mining royalties for successful mining projects are extremely valuable, two recent court-decisions in Western Australia highlight that contractual mining royalties are potentially vulnerable to being extinguished...

The decisive question is no longer only who owns a resource, but who can finance, permit, power, transport, market, and crucially, direct the resulting production into specific industrial...

The administration has elevated critical minerals to a national security issue, launching trade negotiations and regulatory actions under Section 232, with tariffs still on the table.

On December 23, 2025, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) formally announced receipt and commencement...

When an organization's data systems are compromised, they face the daunting challenge of sorting through mountains of sensitive data under intense regulatory pressure.