A bill to approve the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project failed to pass the U.S. Senate by a single vote on November 18.

On September 18, the House passed two legislative packages that would approve the Keystone KL (KXL) pipeline and increase domestic energy production.

The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission has asked the U.S. State Department to prioritize Arctic resource extraction during the 2 year U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council starting in 2015.

A report released on September 29 by the Interior Office of Inspector General (OIG) relates the shortcomings of the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) policy to detect and deter illegal mineral or oil and gas drilling on federal lands.

On July 22, the House failed to achieve the two-thirds majority vote required to pass the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act of 2013 (H.R. 1022), which supported federal investment in research and development for energy critical materials.

On July 15, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing to examine the implementation of the Helium Stewardship Act of 2013.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced legislation intended to change the royalty structure for non-coal mining operations in the United States.

On May 14, the U.S. District Court of Appeals ruled in favor of allowing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to implement its conflict minerals rule and upheld a June 2 deadline for companies to file a Conflict Minerals Report with the SEC.

A recent Department of Defense (DOD) report finds that despite concerns about availability and price of rare earth elements (REEs), the global supply should be sufficient to meet U.S. defense needs for the foreseeable future.