Executive Summary
On August 18, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced nine project selections totaling $162 million under the Mines and Metals Capacity Expansion funding opportunity. The selections trace to the Department’s August 13, 2025, announcement of planned funding opportunities totaling nearly $1 billion and sit within a broader policy framework that includes Executive Order 14241. The awards support bench- and pilot-scale recovery from industrial feedstocks. They do not eliminate project-specific permitting, environmental review, cost share, award negotiation or development requirements.
What Happened
Executive Order 14241, signed March 20, 2025, defines mineral production to include mining, processing, refining, smelting, processed critical minerals and derivative products. It directs permitting agencies to identify submitted mineral production projects, identify priority projects for expedited action, consider projects for the federal Permitting Dashboard, identify federal lands that may be suitable for mineral development and use available financing authorities consistent with law and appropriations.
On August 13, 2025, the Department of Energy announced its intent to issue notices of funding opportunities totaling nearly $1 billion across mining, processing, manufacturing, byproduct recovery, rare earth…