House hearing spotlights permitting delays, China export controls and Perpetua’s Stibnite project

Chairman Stauber convened a House Natural Resources subcommittee hearing Feb. 11 to examine U.S. critical mineral supply chains, where witnesses and members debated how permitting, litigation and foreign market dominance affect national security and domestic production.

The hearing brought together academics, industry and advocacy witnesses who urged faster permitting and investment while some members and witnesses warned that accelerated approvals risk environmental harm and tribal rights. Dr. Morgan Bazillion, director of the Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines, told lawmakers, "It's time for America to become an important mining country again," while Mackenzie Lyon, vice president of external affairs at Perpetua Resources, described the Stibnite Gold Project in Idaho as "the nearest term solution to this urgent challenge."

Members said U.S. dependence on processed minerals abroad — especially in China — presents immediate national security risks, and they pressed witnesses on concrete steps to expand domestic mining, refining and recycling capacity.

Committee context and why it matters

The session centered on materials used in defense systems and clean‑energy technologies — lithium, copper, cobalt, antimony and others — and the policy choices that affect how quickly the United States can bring domestic sources online. Committee members repeatedly cited recent Chinese export restrictions (including on antimony, gallium and germanium) and said those actions underscore a need to diversify and shore up U.S. supply chains.

WITNESSES: evidence and prescriptions

Dr. Morgan Bazillion, described in the hearing…