The US needs the National Materials and Minerals Council

In May 2024, SME hosted 18 industry experts at our headquarters in Englewood, CO to discuss how the void left by the absence of the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) could be mitigated either by refunding the USBM or creating something new. The movement to revive the USBM was one that gathered momentum in recent years and the idea for the roundtable discussion grew from conversations between SME leadership and the National Mining Association and American Exploration & Mining Association, both of which had representation at the roundtable. At the end of the full day of discussions, it was decided that SME would provide technical support and draft a concept paper advocating for the creation of the National Materials and Minerals Council (NMMC). I had the distinct privilege of working alongside Debra Struhsacker in the creation of the concept paper, which you can read in full at SME’s website under the tab Professional Development, Technical Briefings. A summary of the work that went into the paper can be found on page 16 of this issue. At the heart of this effort is the desire to help support the domestic mining industry at a time of incredible opportunity that coincides with complex and significant challenges, including permitting and coordination of government efforts to onshore the nation’s critical minerals supply chain. An escalating trade tiff between the United States and China recently brought to light the inefficiencies of U.S. mineral policy and the dangers to national security that come from that. In December, China announced that it would halt exports of antimony to the United States. In Idaho, Perpetua Resources has been working for more than eight years to bring its Stibnite gold and antimony mine back into production. A mine that could provide domestically sourced antimony. The U.S. Forest Service finally issued its final record of decision for the mine, clearing the way for construction to begin with an expected production start by 2028. “I think what the antimony ban did for us, is it shined a brighter spotlight on where we are as a country and our lack of investment and development of critical minerals in the United States,” Perpetua Resources chief executive officer Jon Cherry told me recently about the timing of the permits for the mine. “There have been no shortcuts taken and all of the details from an environmental and regulatory perspective have been done correctly. The ban and the issuance of the permit were a confluence of events that drew a lot of attention to our project because it is the only antimony reserve in the United States.” In Arizona, there was more welcome news when Hudbay Minerals secured three key state-level permits for its Copper World project, a project that is expected to produce 78 kt/a (85,000 stpy) of copper. The permits for these two projects are certainly a step in the right direction for a more secure mineral supply chain; however, one of the issues that continues to slow mineral production is the lack of a central agency that could help coordinate these efforts. On page 19, Fig. 1 is a snapshot of the burecratic maze of government agencies and departments that have some touch point for the production of minerals in the United States. Ironically, this maze grew in size and scope following the decision to cease funding of the USBM, a decision that was motivated in large part by promises from both parties, Democrats and Republicans, to reduce the size of government. Thirty years later, we are feeling the effects of that decision. The addition of the NMMC is not meant to add another layer to the already complex chart, but to make it more efficient. One of the challenges of a monthly publication is delivering timely news. It can be frustrating when the magazine has hit the press days or sometimes just hours before some important item of news, like a key mining project getting its final permits, breaks on the wire. Mining Engineering has published regular news on its website for a number of years and I am excited to share that we now have an updated and refreshed website. You will still be able to find all of Mining Engineering’s content on the site. Members will have full access to each issue on the first of the month, every month with feature articles, technical paper abstracts, SME News and archived issues of Mining Engineering. You will also be able to keep up with the news from the global mining industry as it becomes available. And we have more additions to the site in the coming months. I encourage you to take a look at the refreshed site (www.miningengineeringmagazine.org).

The US needs the National Materials and Minerals Council

Authored by: William Gleason

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