The Nickel Report

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) (the “OBBB”) was signed into law by President Trump. This comprehensive budget reconciliation bill includes provisions related to tax policy, federal spending, healthcare, border security, energy, and more.

On June 30, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Memorandum titled Simplifying the Funding of Energy Infrastructure and Critical Mineral and Material Projects. Building on earlier presidential actions, including the Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production executive order that called for the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), the United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), the Department of Energy (DOE), and other agencies to facilitate financing for mineral production projects, this Presidential Memorandum aims to enhance efficiency and simplify the funding process for energy infrastructure and critical mineral and material projects by streamlining federal funding applications.

On April 18, 2025, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) identified ten critical mineral projects as FAST-41 Transparency Projects on the Federal Permitting Dashboard (the Projects). Inclusion on the Dashboard is intended to streamline approvals for qualifying projects by enhancing interagency coordination to facilitate a more efficient permitting process with increased transparency.

On April 15, 2025, President Trump took two additional actions building on previous initiatives focused on streamlining and supporting domestic mining and mineral production, including the Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production executive order issued on March 20, 2025 (the Mining Order) and the Unleashing American Energy executive order from January 20, 2025.