The Rundown
- USGS publishes final list of critical minerals, which can prompt faster permitting for mining ventures.
- Texas senators introduce a bill to penalize Mexico if the country does not meet required Rio Grande water deliveries.
- EPA sends two rules to the White House for review: perchlorate in drinking water and state water-quality approvals for infrastructure projects.
And lastly, Central Asian countries sign investment deals related to energy and minerals.
“You don’t just want to be a source of energy or a source of minerals; you want to use that responsibly to build out other sectors of your economies so that you provide long-term opportunities for your people and further develop.” – Marco Rubio, secretary of state, in a welcome speech a day before the leaders of five Central Asian countries visited the White House. The countries – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan – announced investment and business deals with U.S. entities in areas such as minerals and energy.
By the Numbers
60: Minerals listed by the U.S. Geological Survey as “critical” for the country’s economy and security.
News Briefs
Rio Grande Bill
A bill introduced in the Senate would penalize Mexico if the country does not stay on track to meet its obligations to deliver water to the Rio Grande, a drying border river shared with the U.S.
A 1944 treaty requires Mexico to deliver 1.75 million acre-feet every five years. That amounts to 350,000 acre-feet annually. The treaty allows for year-to-year flexibility so long as the five-year amount is met.
The bill would allow the U.S. to penalize Mexico if annual deliveries are not keeping pace.
If the secretary of state determines that Mexico is falling behind, the bill instructs the president to “limit or terminate engagement” with Mexico’s government on economic matters in areas of Mexico that receive water from the border rivers. It also allows for denying “all non-Treaty requests by Mexico.”
For the five-year cycle that ended last month, Mexico’s deliveries were about half of what is required under a 1944 treaty. But the data are only through October 24 and provisional for the entire month of October.
The bill was introduced by Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both of Texas.
Studies and Reports
Critical Minerals
The U.S. Geological Survey finalized its list of minerals that are critical to national security, supply chains, economic growth, and investment.
Inclusion on the list is important. Mining projects that target these minerals can be fast-tracked for approval.
The critical minerals list “will shape federal investment, permitting decisions, and strategic planning for mineral development nationwide,” writes the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The list includes 15 rare earths, which are vital for computing, batteries, and other technologies that will rule the coming decades. Major metals like copper, lithium, and nickel are listed too. So is uranium, which would be needed for a nuclear energy revival.
Updated every three years, the list stems from a 2017 Trump administration executive order and a 2020 act of Congress.
On the Radar
EPA Sends Two Water Rules to White House
The EPA sent two water-related rules to the White House for review.
In the first, sent on November 5, the agency is seeking to limit the scope of state water-quality reviews of infrastructure projects. The agency is promoting the changes as increasing “transparency, efficiency, and predictability.”
Under the Clean Water Act Section 401, states are allowed to certify that projects requiring a federal water-discharge permit will not harm state water quality. States can set conditions on a permit or deny it outright.
Republican leadership has complained that states like New York used the 401 process to block things like natural gas pipelines.
The other rule, delivered on November 6, is a long-delayed rulemaking on the amount of perchlorate in drinking water. Perchlorate is an ingredient in fireworks and rocket fuel and it can affect thyroid function. High levels are a risk during pregnancy, when it can impair fetal brain development.
The agency is under a court order to submit a draft rule by November 21, 2025. The final is due May 2027.
Federal Water Tap is a weekly digest spotting trends in U.S. government water policy. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.
