A Message from Rick Nolan Here's a look ahead from the National Mining Association
I f the past is any indication of what’s to come, 2023 could mark a minerals mining re- naissance. Minerals took the spotlight in 2022 after a series of global events revealed the fragile nature of supply chains. Un- like ever before, industry experts, busi- ness leaders, government officials and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle agreed that the U.S. needs to secure a stable supply of minerals. Amid economic and geopolitical turmoil, the U.S. came face to face with the need for a strong domes- tic mining industry and the harsh reality of what can happen when the bedrock of our supply chains — minerals — are controlled by China, Russia and other foreign adver -
as usual when it comes to minerals. Demand for minerals is only going to accelerate in the future and, in 2022, the Biden administration raised further awareness of the issue by using the Defense Production Act to begin supporting domestic minerals mining. It’s a good start, but much more must be done. As we begin the new year, we must use this momen- tum to give America’s miners the support they need to succeed. We saw reports from Benchmark Minerals Intelligence, S&P Global and Bank of America calling for more mineral exploration, production and processing to keep up with demand. Mineral processing capacity will need to increase 10-fold for our energy goals alone. To meet this need with domestic resources, we need mineral supply chains in place by 2035. As it stands today, it takes on average 10 years to permit a mine in America. It doesn’t take a mathematician to real- ize now is the time to act. Here are ways we can secure our mineral supply in 2023: n Pass commonsense permitting reform policies that speed up the time it takes to approve a mine n Advance mining projects that have been plagued by permitting delays n Build mineral processing capa - bilities within the U.S. to support EV battery manufacturing n Minimize our mineral imports, which accounted for $90 billion of our country’s budget in 2021 The importance of our industry has never been so widely acknowledged as it is today. The mining industry’s message remains clear: With the right policies in place, U.S. miners are ready to support the world’s mineral needs. To meet our energy goals and set ourselves up for a sustainable future, it’s paramount we pass permitting reform that incentivizes domestic mining. If we do that, we can make 2023 the year we all need it to be.
RICK NOLAN
saries. For the average consumer, it took shortages for everything from baby formula to computer chips to fi - nally make one thing abundantly clear: our country cannot continue business
Rick Nolan is President and CEO of the National Mining Association
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The Alaska Miner
Winter 2023
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