Yet another Executive Order from the Resolute Desk: Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. Here’s the meat of it:
“Sec. 5. Land Use for Mineral Projects. (a) Within 10 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Interior shall identify and provide the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs with a list of all Federal lands known to hold mineral deposits and reserves. The Secretary of the Interior shall prioritize mineral production and mining related purposes as the primary land uses in these areas, consistent with applicable law. Land use plans under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act shall provide for mineral production and ancillary uses, and be amended or revised as necessary, to support the intent of this order.
(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Energy shall identify as many sites as possible on Federal land managed by their respective agencies that may be suitable for leasing or development pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 2667, 42 U.S.C. 7256, or other applicable authorities, for the construction and operation of private commercial mineral production enterprises and provide such list to the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the Chair of the NEDC [National Energy Dominance Council]. The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Energy shall prioritize including sites on such lists on which mineral production projects could be fully permitted and operational as soon as possible and have the greatest potential effect on robustness of the domestic mineral supply chain…
[Sec. 6.b.] … The Secretary of Defense may use the authority under section 303 of the DPA [Defense Production Act], in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Energy, the Chair of the NEDC, and the heads of other agencies as the Secretary of Defense deems appropriate, for the domestic production and facilitation of strategic resources the Secretary of Defense deems necessary or appropriate to advance domestic mineral production in the United States…”
The current trend seems, er – clear cut… US forest-based carbon sequestration projects on federal lands are very much at risk from this and other national policy developments to literally destroy forests (assuming they overcome additionality obstacles Zach discussed here). This isn’t welcome news for US nature-based carbon offset project developers – and buyers of those offsets.
Members can read more about carbon management here. In addition, members have access to our checklists Identifying & Updating Climate Risks and Uncertainties and Carbon Offset Due Diligence.
Our members can learn more about carbon offsetting here.
If you aren’t already subscribed to our complimentary ESG blog, sign up here for daily updates delivered right to you.
