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Utah's Critical Minerals Strategic Act builds an entirely new state framework for expanding the mining and processing of critical minerals — materials identified as essential to economic or national security, such as lithium, copper, and rare earth elements. The bill creates an 11-member Critical Minerals Council housed within the Department of Natural Resources, composed of state agency directors, legislators, a University of Utah representative, and industry leaders, charged with developing a strategic plan, designating "critical minerals zones" across the state, and overseeing a new research and commercialization hub called the Minerals for Industrial, National, and Economic Security Center. State agencies including the Department of Environmental Quality and Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining are required to prioritize permit processing for critical minerals projects within designated zones or in line with the council's strategic plan, and to issue permits simultaneously rather than one after another in order to cut timelines. The bill also creates a State Reinvestment Restricted Account funded by severance tax revenue — taxes paid when oil, gas, and minerals are extracted — to support income tax relief, water infrastructure, transit, energy, and critical minerals development, and it creates a separate Critical Minerals Development Account funded partly by a property tax increment mechanism within designated zones. Mining companies that explore for new mineral deposits can receive a revised tax credit worth up to 50% of qualifying exploration costs, with per-mine caps reduced from $20 million to $10 million and the credit period cut from 20 to 10 years.