A U.S. district judge on Friday denied the latest request by plaintiffs that are trying to stop the federal government from transferring land in Arizona for the Resolution Copper mining project. The ruling triggered an immediate appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as a deadline fast approaches for the federal government to move ahead with the transfer this week. The project, which has been in the permitting process for 12 years and holds the potential to meet 25 percent of U.S. copper needs at a time when demand is increasing, has support in nearby Superior and other mining towns in the area and will generate $1 billion a year for Arizona's economy.
It seems mining and minerals come up in nearly every trade or peace deal in which President Trump is involved—further underscoring the importance of mining in today's world—and sure enough, it seems to have been a factor in President Trump's discussion with Russia's Vladimir Putin last week in Alaska. During the summit, Putin reportedly proposed freezing the frontlines in other areas of Ukraine if Kyiv agreed to withdraw from its coal and mineral rich eastern regions. These heavily industrialized eastern regions have reportedly become a core bargaining chip but, in his recent statements, Ukraine's Zelensky dismissed the idea. We'll see what happens when Presidents Trump and Zelensky meet in Washington later today.
And because we're always keeping up with the latest in China, China's steel and coal production fell in July, weighed down by extreme weather disruptions and Beijing's renewed push to curb excess capacity. Steel production reportedly dropped 4 percent year-on-year with the industry grappling with weaker domestic demand, particularly from its struggling property sector. The country's Northern coal hubs were also hit hard by torrential rains that forced mines to shut and disrupted transport. At the same time, thermal coal producers have been shielded from deeper cuts due to surging electricity demand amid summer heatwaves.
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.
