WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rich Nolan, President and CEO of the National Mining Association (NMA), issued the following statement on the Department of Interior’s Public Land Order withdrawing hundreds of thousands of acres of minerals-rich land in Minnesota.
“It’s difficult to square the announcement of this significant land withdrawal with the Biden administration’s stated goals on electrification, the energy transition and supply chain security. At a time when demand for minerals such as copper, nickel and cobalt are skyrocketing for use in electric vehicles and solar and wind infrastructure, the administration is withdrawing hundreds of thousands of acres of land that could provide U.S. manufacturers with plentiful sources of these same minerals. In the end, by closing off more and more U.S. land to responsible domestic mining instead of producing minerals here at home, creating high-paying American jobs and mining operations that will be conducted in accordance with the world’s most stringent environmental, labor and safety regulations, the administration is looking to stand up operations in the Congo and Zambia. It’s nonsensical when you look at where the U.S. wants to be globally as a leader in manufacturing, innovation and climate.”
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