Energy

America Found A Rare Metal It Desperately Needs. Red Tape Could Keep It In The Ground For Ages

(Photo via Aaron Burden / Unsplash)

After pulling the plug on tungsten mining for over a decade, a massive discovery in Nevada could put America back in the game.

Developer 3 Proton Lithium (3PL) estimates its Railroad Valley Minerals project holds 1.78 million metric tons of tungsten, potentially the largest known deposit of the metal in the country, and more than five times the size of the next-largest U.S. resource, according to MINING.com. The rare metal is extraordinarily dense and heat-resistant, making it essential for armor-piercing munitions, cutting tools, semiconductors and aerospace and defense hardware.

But getting it out of the ground is another story, as a patchwork of federal land rules, a notoriously slow approval process and one very specific obstacle at NASA stand between the find and any actual production.

“This is a major resource play even with the NASA roadblock to a portion of it,” David Blackmon, an energy public policy analyst, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “The conflict with NASA is illustrative of the kinds of conflicts created by clashing, legitimate stakeholder interests that typify permitting processes for energy projects of all types.”

NASA, 3PL, The White House and the Permitting Council did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.

The NASA Roadblock

Part of the Nevada deposit sits on land NASA had withdrawn from mineral development years earlier, and that restriction is currently blocking exploration there, according to the Federal Register. The withdrawal dates to April 2023, when the Interior Department, at NASA’s request, pulled roughly 23,000 acres of Railroad Valley out of mineral leasing for 20 years, a restriction that runs through the early 2040s.

NASA’s stake in the valley has nothing to do with minerals. The agency has used Railroad Valley since 1993 to calibrate Earth-observing satellite instruments. NASA says the dry lakebed is uniquely suited for the work because it is large, flat, free of vegetation, consistent in surface color, undisturbed, easily accessible and clearly visible from space.

“President Trump does possess the authority to force NASA to relent if he believes doing so is key to U.S. national security,” Blackmon said. “The Trump administration’s FAST-41 designation will help speed the permitting timeline for the mining project, a process that can normally extend to well over a decade without such designation.”

FAST-41 is a federal program that speeds up permitting by setting timelines and coordinating agencies. In April 2025, the Trump administration expanded its use for critical-mineral projects as part of President Donald Trump’s directive to accelerate domestic mineral production and streamline permitting.

“Tungsten’s key role in hardening munitions and other military applications made the Railroad Valley project a natural FAST-41 candidate,” Blackmon continued. “It is key to point out, though, that FAST-41 does not eliminate the potential for litigation and other efforts by activist groups to impede this project’s progress and extend the timeline by years before it can be produced.”

Environmental groups have also challenged other U.S. mining projects tied to national security.

In May, a coalition including the Center for Biological Diversity, Earthworks and the Idaho Conservation League asked a federal court to halt construction of the Stibnite Gold Project in Idaho, arguing the project threatened wildlife, waterways and other environmental resources. A federal judge ultimately denied the request, allowing construction to continue while the underlying litigation proceeds.

The Stibnite project is expected to become a major domestic source of gold and antimony, a critical mineral used in munitions, military-grade materials, batteries and other defense applications. The Department of Defense previously awarded $24.8 million to advance the project, describing the investment as necessary to establish a domestic antimony supply for missiles and munitions. The Justice Department has since called Stibnite critical to national defense, noting that defense officials have identified it as the only domestic mine capable of producing enough antimony to meet U.S. defense requirements with scheduled operations for 2029.

Stranglehold

China controls roughly 80% of global tungsten production, and its hold on the metal has only tightened.

In February 2025, China imposed export controls on tungsten and four other critical minerals — tellurium, bismuth, molybdenum and indium — requiring licenses for exports of covered products, according to Reuters. China tightened its grip further later that year, cutting tungsten mining quotas and announcing in December that only 15 companies would be permitted to export the metal during 2026 and 2027.

Tungsten prices have climbed sharply amid China’s tightening export restrictions and surging demand from the defense sector, according to Reuters. By April 2026, the price of ammonium paratungstate, an intermediate used to produce tungsten metal, had risen more than 200% since the beginning of the year and reached record levels.

Even with a domestic deposit this size and a federal fast-track designation in hand, the U.S. permitting system remains the bigger constraint.

“It takes 29 years to bring a mine online in the U.S. from discovery to production, including extensive permitting, the second longest timeline in the world; that’s not sustainable,” Ashley Burke, senior vice president of communications at the National Mining Association, told the DCNF. “This extended timetable imperils our supply chains, resulting in import-dependence for minerals we could be sourcing here at home; minerals that are increasingly vital for our future.”

Tungsten is widely used in electronic and electrical applications, as well as defense equipment ranging from jet engines to ammunition. The military relies on tungsten’s density and hardness for armor-piercing ammunition, including rounds that use tungsten-carbide penetrators to defeat hard targets.

The U.S. Geological Survey also identifies ammunition and jet engines among tungsten’s primary applications.

“A transparent, predictable and streamlined permitting process is exactly what American mining needs. This is about keeping the rigor of the review process but removing duplication and unnecessary delays,” Burke said. “Litigation is an issue that can stretch for years and years, even when there is little chance or basis for the challenging party to prevail. The administration has made progress in addressing this issue, but it is well past time for Congress to act on permitting reform to ensure that any progress that has been made will be lasting and durable.”