Strategic Projects and Permitting
Facts checked against sources on . How we check facts.
Governments speed up critical mineral permits in three ways: they publish schedules, set legal time limits, or set a review target for designated projects. The United States put 25 mineral projects on its federal permitting dashboard in spring 2025, the EU limits permit granting to 27 months for extraction projects and 15 months for processing and recycling projects, and Canada's Building Canada Act aims for federal review within two years. Australia's measures in this area are financial rather than deadlines.
25
critical mineral projects added to the U.S. Federal Permitting Dashboard by 23 May 2025
Source: Permitting Council
27 / 15 months
EU permit limit for extraction projects and for processing or recycling-only projects
2 years
federal review target for projects added under Canada's Building Canada Act
Source: Government of Canada
93
EU strategic projects after the second call on 9 October 2026 (47 in 2025 and 46 in 2026)
Source: LNB News
How do the four jurisdictions speed up permitting?
The mechanisms differ in what they promise. The U.S. promises transparency, the EU a statutory time limit, Canada a review target and Australia money. None of them removes the underlying environmental or consultation requirements.
| Jurisdiction | Mechanism | Commitment | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | FAST-41 transparency projects, set up under Executive Order 14241 of 20 March 2025: the National Energy Dominance Council chair submits projects and the Permitting Council posts them with schedules. | A public schedule on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. No statutory deadline. | A transparency project does not get a coordinated project plan or dedicated project management, and FAST-41 does not change any statutory or regulatory requirement, environmental law or public involvement procedure. |
| European Union | Strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act: 47 recognised in March 2025 and 46 more on 9 October 2026. | Permit granting limited to 27 months for projects involving extraction and 15 months for processing or recycling only. | Recognition does not by itself bring EU funding. |
| Canada | National interest projects under the Building Canada Act (royal assent 26 June 2025), with a Major Projects Office as the single point of contact. | Intent that these projects complete the federal review within two years. | No project is added to the schedule until consultation has taken place, and the Indigenous Advisory Council does not replace consultation with rights-holders. |
| Australia | Financing and incentives: strategic reserve (A$1 billion plus A$150 million for stockpiling) and a 10% processing tax offset from 1 July 2027. | No permit deadline in these programs. | The reserve requires a pre-feasibility study and at least A$20 million of support; the offset excludes mining and beneficiation. |
Sources: Executive Order 14241, Permitting Council, Interior Department, Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, Government of Canada on Bill C-5, Australian strategic reserve and tax incentive pages.
Which U.S. mining projects went on the permitting dashboard?
The Permitting Council added mineral projects in three tranches in 2025: ten on 18 April, ten on 2 May and five on 23 May. The Interior Department managed five of the first ten, covering an Idaho phosphate mine (Caldwell Canyon), lithium exploration in Oregon (HiTech Lithium, McDermitt Caldera), a Utah copper mine (Lisbon Valley), a Nevada lithium mine (Silver Peak) and Alabama coal leases (Warrior Met Coal). The 23 May tranche named Aqqaluk, Antler Copper, South Railroad, Kings Mountain Lithium Material Processing Plant and Liberty Owl. The executive order gave the Council 15 days after receiving the council chair's submission to publish the selected projects and set schedules.
What does faster permitting not change?
Faster permitting changes the process, not the standards. The Interior Department says FAST-41 does not change any statutory or regulatory requirement, environmental law or public involvement procedure. Canada's government says consultation with Indigenous rights-holders must take place before a project is added. Canada's Auditor General found in 2024 that Natural Resources Canada had not sufficiently assessed climate and biodiversity impacts of its critical minerals strategy, which is why consultation and assessment questions travel with any fast-track.
How long do mines take to reach production?
S&P Global Market Intelligence reported in 2024 that mines in the United States took an average of 29 years from discovery to production, longer than any country except Zambia. We saw that figure only in a trade-press teaser, because S&P's own pages block automated readers, so treat it as indicative. It covers the full path from discovery, not permitting alone.
Frequently asked questions
What is FAST-41 for mining projects?
FAST-41 is the U.S. federal permitting framework that gives covered projects permitting timetables managed on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. Mineral projects added under Executive Order 14241 are mostly transparency projects, which get a public schedule but not a coordinated project plan or dedicated Permitting Council project management.
How long do EU strategic projects have to get permits?
The Critical Raw Materials Act limits permit granting for strategic projects to 27 months when they involve extraction and 15 months when they only process or recycle. Strategic project status does not by itself bring EU funding.
What is Canada's Building Canada Act?
The Building Canada Act, part of the One Canadian Economy Act (Bill C-5, royal assent 26 June 2025), lets the government add nation-building projects to a schedule by Order in Council after 30 days' public notice. The intent is that these projects complete the federal review within two years, and a Major Projects Office acts as the single point of contact.
Does Australia have a fast-track for critical mineral projects?
The Australian programs we reviewed are financial: a strategic reserve with A$1 billion from the Critical Minerals Facility, and a 10% processing tax offset from 1 July 2027. We did not review Australian federal or state approval law, so project-specific approval times should be checked with the relevant regulator.
Sources
Read on October 12, 2026. Figures on this page come from these documents; where a number is an estimate, the source says so.
- White House: Executive Order 14241, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production (20 March 2025)
- Permitting Council: Trump Administration adds five more critical mineral production projects (23 May 2025)
- Interior Department: Trump Administration adds key mining projects to FAST-41 (18 April 2025)
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, Article 11 (permit time limits). Read on EUR-Lex in an earlier batch
- LNB News: Commission selects 46 new strategic projects (9 October 2026). Report of the Commission announcement
- Government of Canada: Implementation of Bill C-5, One Canadian Economy
- Government of Canada: Major Projects Office, critical minerals
- Department of Industry, Science and Resources: Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve and Production Tax Incentive
- The Northern Miner: Zambia, US and Canada slowest for mine development, S&P Global. Only the teaser is visible; the 29-year figure is not confirmed from the S&P report
