The Nickel Report

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.

Streamlining Federal Funding

The Presidential Memorandum seeks to streamline federal funding application processes for energy infrastructure and critical mineral and material projects as follows. These steps are intended to eliminate duplicative due diligence and application processes across agencies and enable faster, better funding decisions by the federal government:

1. Information Sharing – Directs the heads of certain agencies to share with the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) information regarding applications for funding and existing funding commitments of their respective agencies.
2. One Common Application – Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Chair of the NEDC to collaborate with agency heads on developing a common application for federal funding opportunities related to these projects.

Sharing Information with the NEDC

The Presidential Memorandum directs the heads of the following governmental entities to share information regarding funding applications:

• Department of State
• Department of the Treasury
• Department of Defense
• Department of the Interior
• Department of Agriculture
• Department of Transportation
• Department of Energy
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
• Small Business Administration (SBA)
• National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC)
• Trade and Development Agency
• Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)
• United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Furthermore, the Presidential Memorandum directs that, to the extent that sharing such information requires the consent of the applicant or funding recipient with respect to funds already committed or disbursed, agencies must seek such consent expeditiously. Until consent is granted, agencies are restricted from committing or releasing funds for related projects.

Within 60 days of the Presidential Memorandum’s issuance, each agency must update its information-sharing policies and initiate any necessary rulemaking to enable sharing, ensuring compliance with the applicable laws.

One Common Application for Federal Funding

The Presidential Memorandum also directs the OMB Director and NEDC Chair, in coordination with the heads of the agencies mentioned above, to create a single application for federal funding related to energy infrastructure and critical mineral or material projects within 180 days of the Presidential Memorandum’s issuance. This common application is intended to allow applicants to submit a single application for consideration for funding under multiple federal programs.

The heads of agencies, together with the NEDC Chair and OMB Director, are directed to determine which funding programs will use this application, how it will be utilized technically, its content, any agency-specific additions, exemptions, and required legal terms to facilitate information sharing across agencies. The application will also include legal terms, including consents, necessary for sharing information as outlined above.

Conclusion

The Presidential Memorandum is issued within the context of the Administration’s broader initiative, consistent with the applicable laws, to reduce bureaucratic hurdles under a declared national energy emergency.

Contact Joanna Enns and Martin Stratte on the Mining and Mineral Processing team and Jamie Head, Ben Cooper, and Doug Dua on the Agency Finance team for more information on this Presidential Memorandum and related opportunities.