Today’s Key Takeaways: What’s in the Big Beautiful Bill for Energy and Environment? Critical Conversation with Contango Ore CEO. Overhauling the U.S. Permitting System.
NEWS OF THE DAY:
Senate GOP Passes Sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Holland and Knight, July 1, 2025
Energy and Environment
Oil and Natural Gas
- Repeals IRA provisions that raised royalty rates, reinstates pre-IRA royalty rates and establishes minimum oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters
- Mandates quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales on public lands in key western states
- Requires 30 offshore lease sales in the Gulf of America (at least two per year for the next 15 years) and six in the Cook Inlet area of Alaska by 2040
- Expands leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A)
- Repeals the IRA requirement for the payment of royalties on methane produced on oil and gas leases on public lands and waters
- Repeals funding for the methane emissions and waste reduction incentive program for petroleum and natural gas systems created by the IRA
Coal and Mining
- Reduces coal royalty rates to 7 percent through 2034
- Makes available the leasing of 4 million acres of known coal reserves
- Authorizes mining of federal coal adjacent to private lands
Renewables
- Imposes new acreage rents and capacity fees on wind and solar projects on federal lands
- Rescinds funding for dozens of IRA-created clean energy programs, including the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF)
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Rescinded and Refocused
- Repeals several IRA loan authorities and rescinds billions in unobligated credit subsidy, including:
- $3.6 billion for DOE’s Title 17 loan guarantee program
- $3 billion for the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program
- $5 billion for the Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program under Section 1706
- Eliminates remaining IRA funding for the Tribal Energy Loan Guarantee Program and multiple DOE grant programs for transmission deployment and siting
- Revises and reauthorizes Section 1706 of the Energy Policy Act as a new Energy Dominance Financing authority; capitalized with $1 billion and enables DOE to guarantee loans that:
- repower, repurpose or expand existing energy infrastructure, including fossil, nuclear and critical minerals projects
- includes projects that improve grid reliability or increase capacity and output, but explicitly bars support for projects receiving other forms of direct federal financial assistance
Energy Tax Incentives
- Significantly revises energy tax incentives included in the IRA
READ MORE FOR KEY HIGHLIGHTS BY SECTOR
MINING:
Critical Conversations: Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse
Metal Tech News, June 30, 2025
Contango Ore CEO discusses his love of rocks, maps, Alaska, and the role of responsible mining to national security and clean energy.
Metal Tech News is proud to introduce “Critical Conversations,” a Q&A series that provides industry leaders, innovators, and experts a platform to share insights that shape the future of critical minerals and mining technologies.
In this inaugural Critical Conversations segment, we sit down with Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse, President and CEO of Contango Ore Inc., a company leading a uniquely streamlined approach to mine development in Alaska.
From his early love of rocks and maps to his leadership in advancing high-quality projects under a Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) model, Van Nieuwenhuyse shares insights on navigating permitting challenges, forming strategic partnerships, and the vital role Alaska plays in America’s critical minerals future. This candid conversation explores the evolution of his career, the promise of Alaska’s mineral potential, and the urgent need to reshape public perception around modern mining.
POLITICS:
Burgum Joins Effort to Overhaul U.S. Permitting System
U.S Department of Interior, July 1, 2025
Burgum Joins Effort to Overhaul U.S. Permitting System
Interior Department
Today, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, in coordination with U.S. President Donald J. Trump, announced reforms to modernize the federal environmental review process and prevent unnecessary regulations from being weaponized to delay American innovation and expansion.
“Our nation’s broken permitting process has been abused for decades to block affordable, reliable energy production, delay critical infrastructure projects, and stunt America’s economy,” said Secretary Doug Burgum. “President Trump is fulfilling his promise to fix the system by eliminating unnecessary regulations weaponized by past administrations to block American progress. These reforms issued by the Department of the Interior will help unleash America’s full potential as a global leader in innovation, growth and development.”
The revised National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, procedures issued by the Department of the Interior are pursuant to President Donald J. Trump’s Unleashing American Energy Executive Order, E.O. 14154