Overview

• The Necessary Environmental Exemptions for Defense Act would let the Secretary of Defense bypass NEPA, the Endangered Species Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Clean Water Act for designated mineral projects.
• Exemptions would cover activities from testing and production of defense systems to construction and maintenance of related infrastructure without judicial review.
• Cotton argues that existing environmental requirements cause costly delays and stall projects vital for countering China’s strategic control of critical minerals.
• The measure aims to reduce the United States’ reliance on China, which currently produces about 60% of critical minerals and processes up to 90% of global supply.
• The bill was formally introduced in the Senate on July 9 and is now pending review by the relevant committees.