America’s potential to ramp up domestic mining has been hamstrung by a bureaucratic quagmire. A recently released report from S&P Global highlights a critical issue: the United States has the world’s second-longest lead time for bringing mines online, averaging a staggering 29 years. This is an obvious indicator that our current permitting processes are woefully inefficient. As the report makes clear, the U.S. is not living up to its mining potential, and now is the time for permitting reform.
It’s a severe understatement to say that the U.S. is underperforming in domestic mineral production. We have proven reserves that could make us a global leader in producing the full range of minerals essential for our manufacturing and energy future. However, our permitting and legal systems have imposed an unacceptable average delay of three decades. Stunningly, only a handful of mines have come online in the U.S. since 2002 — and none are on federal lands, where most of the U.S. mineral endowment is located. Given the urgent global demand for minerals and China’s tightening grip on supply chains, we must do better.
Our Vast Domestic Reserves Require Permitting Reform
The U.S. has an incredibly rich mineral resource base. For instance, our copper endowment is comparable to those of Canada and Australia combined, and our lithium endowment is more than twice that of Australia, which currently accounts for half of the world’s lithium production. Despite this, the development of mines in the U.S. is not only long and costly but also unusually uncertain. Endless, obstructive litigation, while rarely fruitful, is plaguing American mining and deepening the nation’s alarming mineral import reliance.
The new bipartisan permitting deal proposed by Senators Joe Manchin and John Barrasso — which has now passed out of committee — is both timely and essential for revitalizing America’s mining sector. The deal includes significant judicial review reforms, expedited court reviews and an important provision to reaffirm decades of mining law and provide certainty for miners, all essential to building the American mineral supply chains our economy, energy future and national security demand.
Urgent Policy Action Now
Given the urgent need for the U.S. to secure its supply chains, reduce its reliance on China, and respond to the pressing domestic materials needs of the energy and transportation sectors, the NMA strongly endorses this bipartisan permitting deal as a critical step forward in realizing the nation’s vast mineral potential.
With members of Congress united behind the pressing need for change, the nation’s minerals challenges require bold action. Along with permitting reform, the NMA also encourages the establishment of a centralized U.S. government office or position to coordinate and promote the development of the nation’s mineral supply chains. Along with bringing efficiencies to a permitting process that desperately needs them, this office or position would also advance mining research, enhance implementation of supply chain incentives, shepherd mapping of federal lands and support the development of tomorrow’s mining workforce. In short, it could bring coherency to the nation’s mineral policy.
As the S&P report makes clear, the U.S. is not living up to its mining potential. Now is the time to address it. By supporting and enacting permitting reform, we can begin to create a more efficient, competitive and sustainable mining sector that benefits all Americans. It’s time to embrace these reforms and unlock the full potential of America’s vast mineral resources.