Podcast - ¿Minería para quién? El debate que llega al Congreso
Africa has become a focal point where geopolitical tensions between Western states, China and Russia, increased political instability and the global scramble for critical minerals intersect. These forces drive high‑stakes...more
Brazil continues to consolidate its position as one of the world’s leading jurisdictions for investment in the mining industry, combining mineral diversity, renewable energy availability, legal certainty, and an increasingly...more
The European Union's Critical Raw Materials Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1252, "CRMA") represents one of the most significant regulatory developments affecting the mining sector in decades. Adopted on April 11, 2024, and in...more
The deep sea mining landscape has seen significant activity across multiple fronts in the first quarter of 2026. This briefing summarizes recent key developments at the international level and among major private and state...more
On April 7, 2026, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI), in partnership with the Office of Geothermal, announced an up to $69 million “Critical Minerals and Materials...more
El Ministerio de Minas y Energía (MME) de Colombia publicó para consulta pública un proyecto de resolución que busca reglamentar los permisos mineros, instrumentos de seguimiento y control, entre otros instrumentos necesarios...more
Each spring, the Executive Branch transmits the President’s Budget to Congress, setting forth the current administration’s funding priorities and policy goals for the upcoming fiscal year (FY). The Trump Administration’s FY...more
On March 18, 2026, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued an Area Identification Recommendation (Area ID) covering more than 69 million acres offshore of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). ...more
The Trump Administration is becoming increasingly focused, and ambitious, in implementing its agenda to secure US access to critical minerals and rare earth materials. ...more
On February 24, 2026, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published revisions to regulations that govern prospecting, leasing, and operations related to minerals other than oil, gas, and sulphur (referred to as “hard...more
En este episodio de "A Lo Legal En Par Minutos", Edwin Cortés, socio, y Manuel Ocampo, abogado de derecho minero-energético, conversan sobre el nuevo proyecto de ley minera presentado por el Gobierno Nacional el 1 de octubre...more
On February 4, 2026, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) announced the release of a fact sheet on biotechnology solutions for critical minerals. NSCEB notes that the United States is overly...more
The UK Government recently published its "Vision 2035: Critical Minerals Strategy" (the Strategy), setting out a 10-year framework to secure access to the critical minerals that are considered integral to our modern way of...more
Federal energy and infrastructure policy saw major movement at the start of 2026, with Congress approving the FY2026 Energy and Water appropriations bill, the Department of Energy announcing a significant reorganization, and...more
On January 21, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) published a final rule consolidating the process for U.S. companies to obtain exploration licenses and permits for commercial recovery of...more
Deep-sea mining is increasingly viewed as a potential source of critical minerals needed for the energy transition and advanced technologies, yet it operates within a complex and evolving legal and regulatory landscape. The...more
On January 21, 2026, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a final rule revising its regulations governing deep seabed mining under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act of 1980 (DSHMRA). ...more
On January 14, President Trump issued two proclamations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (Section 232) addressing national security risks associated with imports of processed critical minerals and...more
El panorama regulatorio de los sectores minero y energético en América Latina atraviesa una fase de transformación profunda, marcada por la búsqueda de un equilibrio entre la eficiencia productiva y la protección integral de...more
The global drive towards renewable energy, electric vehicles and advanced infrastructure is placing copper at the heart of the energy-transition supply chain. In this context, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and...more
The thirtieth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), or COP30, concluded on Saturday 22 November 2025. Held in Belém, Brazil, it was marked by extreme weather...more
Scarcity of water is emerging as a defining constraint of the 21st century. As one of the most notoriously water-intensive activities, the mining and metals industry sits at the heart of this challenge. In the United...more
Last week, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced progress on its long-term plan to lease areas for critical mineral development on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). First, on Nov. 10, 2025, BOEM...more
On Nov. 7, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) finalized its 2025 Critical Minerals List. The final list includes all 50 minerals that appeared on the 2022 Critical Minerals List, plus 10 new minerals—boron, copper, lead,...more
In Texas, legal battles over the subsurface have typically focused on what comes out of the ground: oil, gas, and minerals. But as subsurface use evolves, it raises a new question: Who owns the empty space left once minerals...more