The Department of the Interior announced yesterday that it is now taking steps to recover minerals from mine waste, coal refuse, tailings and abandoned uranium mines. The new Order directs the Department to streamline federal regulations on the recovery of critical minerals from mine waste, while updating guidance to make mine waste recovery projects eligible for federal funding. It also prioritizes review of plans to recover uranium and other minerals from abandoned mines and directs the USGS to map and inventory federal mine waste sites.
On the energy front, Mark Christie yesterday held his last meeting as chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and in it, he sounded a very clear alarm saying, "The reliability threat is not on the future horizon. It is now here." His parting comments reflect the dire state of grids across the country, where plants that were set to prematurely retire under the prior administration are desperately needed to power the surge in data center construction and AI use.
And from the Hill, E&E has a Q&A with Representative Gary Palmer, the new chair of the Energy and Commerce Environment Subcommittee, who has a laser focus on bolstering domestic production of minerals to counter China's strategic minerals advantage. In the interview he said he's planning to focus all of the panel's work, from permitting to energy demand, on outcompeting China.
That's your Mining Minute for this morning, highlighting some of the mining-related matters that are on our minds here in Washington and beyond. Follow us on the National Mining Association's channels, as well as on Minerals Make Life and Count on Coal, for more on the latest news and policies impacting mining.
