April 22, 2026 -  

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has told American allies they must be willing to pay more for critical minerals ‌sourced from outside China, the Financial Times reports.

Greer said U.S. allies must be ready to pay a “national security premium.” He pushed back on price concerns saying this fixation on cost efficiency, “is why we are in the situation we’re in” with China.

And the House Natural Resources Committee on Tuesday approved two mining bills, the "Protect Domestic Mining Act,” codifying a 2021 rule that makes all mining projects eligible for expedited permitting under the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (or FAST) Act. That bill also now includes an amendment adding mineral processing to the proposal.

And the committee also passed the "Critical Minerals Supply Chain Resiliency Act," which would apply the FAST-permitting process to projects supported by the Defense Production Act.

And while US coal miners are gearing up to boost exports as the Iran crisis has sent demand for coal soaring in European and Asian markets, rising production and transport costs are complicating their ability to ship more.

Coal producers, heavily reliant on diesel-powered machinery, as well as trucks, trains and barges, are feeling the bite of soaring diesel prices.

Diesel account for as much as 25 percent of surface miners’ costs, and 12 per cent of underground operations, according to analysts at Bank of America.

The price of diesel for trucks has risen 48 percent since the Iran war began. And the cost of shipping from North America to China is up by as much as 55 percent.