Gary Palmer’s CHARM Act passes to reduce America’s reliance on foreign countries for critical minerals

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September 17, 2026

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Environment, wants America to decrease its dependence on foreign countries for critical minerals by using what’s already available within the country.

The U.S. House voted to pass H.R. 9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act.

The bill was introduced by Palmer and U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), the Democratic Ranking Member on the Environment Subcommittee.

“America should not have to rely on China or other adversarial nations for the critical minerals that power our economy and strengthen our national security,” Palmer said.

CHARM Act = Passed ✅

This is an important step toward making better use of the resources we already have here at home and strengthening our domestic supply chains.

Thanks @RepPaulTonko for working with me on this bill and to @RepGuthrie for the kind introduction on the floor! pic.twitter.com/HRDfJY1p8S

— Gary Palmer (@USRepGaryPalmer) September 16, 2026

The legislation explores new opportunities to recover these resources from sources already available in the United States, including electronic waste, legacy mine sites, and coal ash. The legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a coordinated federal strategy for recovering critical minerals from these and other overlooked domestic sources.

“The House passage of the CHARM Act is an important step toward making better use of the resources we already have here at home and strengthening our domestic supply chains,” Palmer said. I’m grateful to Congressman Tonko for working with me on this bipartisan effort, and I look forward to seeing the Senate take up this legislation.”

The congressman had made the issue of critical minerals one of his top priorities. Last year, Palmer introduced the Securing America’s Mineral Supply (SAMS) Act of 2025 to codify five of President Trump’s Executive Orders that unleash American energy and boost our critical mineral development.

Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee