Following the recent introduction into Congress of the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act, intended to modernise the federal permitting systems and improve access to minerals critical for the nation, Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, has praised the bill.
He said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has revealed the perils of our alarming minerals import dependence. Our global peers accomplish in two to three years what takes a decade to permit in the US, deepening our reliance on foreign imports at a time when doing so holds the greatest risk.
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“Minerals are the front end of the nation’s industrial supply chains; with resources exceeding more than $6.2tn, we need not look to geopolitical rivals to source them. In fact, encouraging greater use of our domestic resources will not only strengthen our national and economic security, but will provide the foundation for economic recovery, supporting and expanding the 1.2 million American jobs that come from US hardrock mining.”
Congressman Frank Lucas, one of the main supporters of the American Critical Mineral Exploration and Innovation Act of 2020, said in a statement that the Covid-19 pandemic has made it “dangerously clear” that America should not take its technology mineral supply for granted, but it has to develop these resources and manage its access to critical minerals.
