House lawmakers on Thursday passed Republican bills aimed at boosting critical mineral mining projects and geothermal energy operations.

In a 245-155 vote, the House passed Rep. Juan Ciscomani’s (R-AZ) Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024, which would add the Energy Department’s critical materials to the U.S. Geological Survey Critical Minerals list.

The bill would reduce confusion between the lists and give both the same energy-related benefits. For example, the USGS minerals are eligible for more extensive clean energy tax credits and financing support than those on the DOE’s list. It would also help streamline the permitting process for critical mineral mining projects, including copper.

Copper is used in renewable energy systems to generate power from solar and wind energy. Other critical minerals are also used to develop electric vehicle batteries. The United States has looked at boosting its critical mineral manufacturing as it competes with China in the clean energy sector.

“With both critical minerals and critical materials playing such a key role in everything from energy to national security, we need to ensure our federal agencies are operating with the same understanding of what we need to prioritize,” Ciscomani said earlier this year. “This legislation ensures parity between critical minerals versus critical materials while bolstering America’s supply chain for strategic resources for a more resilient future.”

Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and Mike Lee (R-UT) last week introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

The National Mining Association applauded House lawmakers’ passage of the bill and is now urging the Senate to do the same.

“The Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024 is a win for American miners, for domestic supply chain security and is essential to ensuring domestic production can increasingly meet soaring demand,” NMA President and CEO Rich Nolan said in a statement.

In addition, the House voted 225-181 to pass Rep. Young Kim’s (R-CA) Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources Act, which would speed up the permitting process for geothermal energy by waiving the requirement for operators to obtain a federal drilling permit for wells on state and private lands.

Geothermal energy works by drilling to extract thermal energy from the Earth’s core.

The Biden administration has sought to facilitate geothermal drilling on its own. Last month, the Interior Department and Bureau of Land Management proposed that operations confirming geothermal resources are excluded from the step of undergoing an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement. The Biden administration has approved 42 renewable energy projects on public lands. Of those projects, 14 are geothermal developments.