From the President’s Desk: Rich Nolan’s Blog

As winter approaches, the reliability of the U.S. energy grid becomes critical, particularly in the face of rising electricity demand. Coal remains a bulwark of the U.S. energy system and particularly important to providing the fuel-secure, on-demand power needed during harsh winter months. No other... Read More

The global race for minerals is accelerating, and copper is finally getting the recognition it deserves as a vital resource. The U.S. Department of Energy has declared copper a so-called “critical mineral,” and its essential role in electrification is now in sharp focus. Copper is key to determining... Read More

I’m thrilled to share that MINExpo INTERNATIONAL® 2024, the world’s largest mining show, is less than a month away. From September 24-26, in Las Vegas, our industry will come together for what I believe will be an extraordinary event in an extraordinary moment. With so much at stake—whether it’s energy... Read More

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... Read More

The current global energy debate continues to perpetuate the false narrative that renewable energy is the only form of power generation necessary to meet our current and future needs. This belief ignores the ongoing contributions of coal as the cornerstone of a reliable and affordable grid and the persistent... Read More

In recent weeks, the Biden administration has taken a series of steps that undermine the United States' ability to reduce its reliance on imported minerals just as the demand for these resources is skyrocketing. These actions contradict the administration's stated goals of securing supply chains and... Read More

On April 25, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a blitz of regulations targeting the nation’s fossil-fuel power plants. In the center of the EPA’s crosshairs is America’s coal fleet, which remains a workhorse source of power across the country–and the leading source of electricity... Read More

As the U.S. energy policy landscape continues to shift, a crucial dialogue on electricity stability is gaining momentum. Many are waking up to the reality that this administration is recklessly rushing to close well-operating coal plants in favor of renewable energy sources that have not been permitted... Read More

Our near-complete reliance on imported uranium has long been a glaring strategic vulnerability — exposing us to geopolitical risks and seriously undermining our national and energy security. It doesn’t have to be this way. I don’t use the phrase “golden opportunity” lightly, but this moment is about... Read More

The regulatory onslaught against the reliable sources of power that support the U.S. electricity grid continues to advance. The Clean Power Plan 2.0 (CPP 2.0) is part of the Biden administration’s multi-pronged plan to shutter well-operating fossil fuel power plants well before there is anything in... Read More

We are living in the most mineral-intensive time in human history. Electric vehicles (EVs), handheld electronics, computers, solar panels and wind turbines all depend on a wide range of minerals for their construction and operation. Over the holidays, many of the holiday gifts we unwrapped simply wouldn’t... Read More

There’s no doubt about it — our nation’s energy experts and grid operators are now facing the considerable challenge of ensuring our electric grid is reliable this winter. The North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) recently delivered a dire winter assessment. Among the main takeaways from the... Read More

The global minerals race continues to tear full speed ahead. Demand is surging for a wide variety of essential minerals and now the metal at the very heart of electrification is getting its due. Copper has been recognized as a critical material by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its shaky supply... Read More

“Coal” might bring to mind power plants and electricity generation but metallurgical coal, often referred to as met coal, has bolstered our nation’s infrastructure and economic strength for decades and is helping build the cities and infrastructure of tomorrow. As an indispensable ingredient in steel... Read More

The summer is winding down. Going back to school is a focus for many of us. It also provides me and the National Mining Association (NMA) with the perfect opportunity to spotlight some promising careers in the mining industry, as well as the education needed to fill these roles. Did you know that... Read More

To deploy a suite of advanced technologies that are capable of dramatically reducing global emissions, we will see a 1,000% increase in mineral usage by 2050. Think about that for a moment. That statistic is staggering, especially if you consider our reliance on foreign minerals to meet current demand.... Read More

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may continue to pretend there is no grid reliability crisis, but the debate is over. One alarming reliability assessment and warning have now been followed by three Congressional hearings in just the last month that have made it abundantly clear that dispatchable... Read More

We are entering the most mineral and metal intensive era in human history. Mining and minerals play such a critical role in sustaining our homes, roads, pipelines, essential electronics, and so much more, that we are nearly in constant contact with them in some way. It’s easy to overlook the role... Read More

The last several years have seen energy crises across Europe, grid warnings in the U.S., and soaring electricity prices everywhere. Here at home, grid operators and regulators have warned for years about their concerns over the pace of our energy transition and what it means for the ability to deliver... Read More

Your friend. Your neighbor. Maybe even your spouse. Everyone in this country knows someone who works in a mining-supported industry. And that's because, simply put, mining is the backbone of the American economy.  The mining industry provides hundreds of thousands of direct and indirect jobs. Companies... Read More

Mining was in the forefront of just about every policy discussion in 2022. To those in our industry, this doesn’t come as a surprise. The cornerstone of our economy, domestic mining secures supply chains, enhances national security, enables the technologies of the future, and keeps the lights on in our... Read More

This year has been full of discussions pertaining to the urgent need for mine permitting reform to address growing mineral demand after decades of overreliance on foreign countries for our mineral needs. With increasing recognition of this problem and growing support for finding a solution, now is... Read More

  As we watch the international community stumble through the energy transition, we’re witnessing missteps at just about every turn. The war in Ukraine has allowed Putin to weaponize energy, upending energy markets and threatening fuel shortages across Europe. A growing list of affected countries... Read More

For decades, the U.S. has been grappling with its overreliance on foreign countries for minerals, and how an unwieldly mine permitting process handicaps our ability to meet our mineral needs with domestic resources. We are now at an inflection point where we must address this issue, and the skyrocketing... Read More

As countries deal with the effects of the energy crisis in Europe due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, skyrocketing natural gas prices and supply issues, they need affordable, reliable coal to meet their energy demands. Across Europe, allies are reopening shuttered coal plants or abandoning plans to... Read More

Over the last two years, with the effects of shortages being felt in our daily lives, the American supply chain has been thrust into the spotlight. More than ever before, Americans are considering how many elements go into the products we use every day and where those products are sourced from. Minerals... Read More

Refrigerated medicine spoiling. Manufacturing facilities shutting down. Financial transactions coming to a halt. A lack of air conditioning that pushes indoor temperatures to punishing levels. When we hear the term “blackout” we think of a period without lights. But the ramifications of no electricity... Read More

Minerals are critical to energy – the building blocks for a range of advanced energy technologies – but they are also critical to national security.   In an effort to reduce the United States’ reliance on China and other adversarial nations for battery materials, President Biden invoked the Defense... Read More

The delicate nature of global supply chains was something many of us took for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic. Two years later, we now have a clear picture of just how precarious our extensive reliance on over-extended supply chains has become. It’s time to address this vulnerability head on by... Read More

It is make-or-break time for the United States’ domestic minerals supply chains if we want to regain competitiveness on a global scale. As the energy transition gears up, mined materials and minerals will be essential to rebuilding infrastructure, electrifying transportation, and advancing technologies... Read More

As our power grid changes to rely more heavily on intermittent power and just-in-time fuel delivery, many lawmakers are thinking quixotically about our energy mix. But when people’s lives are at stake and the affordability of our power supply hangs in the balance, we can’t think in ideals. We must think... Read More

The experiences enjoyed and memories made from Thanksgiving through New Years are why we call it the “most wonderful time of the year.” While it’s people that drive this spirit of togetherness, we rely on a variety of technologies for our most treasured traditions. From traveling to see loved ones and... Read More

The United States is vulnerable to an energy crisis if we don’t carefully manage the energy transition. Europe’s own historic, self-inflicted crisis serves as a warning to what could happen if U.S. decisionmakers follow Europe’s lead by focusing too heavily on the grid of the future, neglecting the energy... Read More

Oppose New Taxes on U.S. Mining Provisions included in the most recent version of the House Natural Resources Budget Reconciliation Act threaten the United States’ role in the global race to electrified transportation. As the world transitions to meet emissions-reduction goals, consumer interest in... Read More

Proposals Threaten Economic Recovery, Job Creation, Infrastructure The House is threatening to weaken the U.S. mining industry, applying further stress on our domestic supply chains, job creation and economic recovery with the Natural Resources Budget Reconciliation Act. Specifically, the legislation... Read More

Fuel diversity, among its many benefits, provides options and flexibility—two things U.S. policymakers and regulators will need to navigate the energy transition. A balanced electricity mix has long underpinned the affordability of the grid and it will remain critical to ensuring both affordability and... Read More

Cyberattacks are of increasing concern, with cyber criminals and state actors carefully selecting vulnerable targets to maximize disruption. Increasingly, these hacking events target physical infrastructure, aiming to cut access to U.S. energy sources and utilities. There’s no doubt that attacks on energy... Read More

The world is on the cusp of an energy transformation. As countries position themselves to achieve emissions-reduction goals, the United States has an opportunity to take center stage in the era of electric vehicles, advanced energy sources and major innovation. Within that opportunity, however, we must... Read More

The U.S. is considering the biggest infrastructure investment since the construction of the Eisenhower interstate highway system. To modernize the buildings, transportation and energy systems proposed in President Biden’s $2.3 trillion plan we will need vast amounts of steel. Manufacturing that steel... Read More

U.S. minerals will make or break President Biden’s infrastructure plan. There is no question that we need both the proposed upgrades to our nation’s roads, bridges, transmission systems, and more, and the jobs those projects will create. But modernizing our country’s aging infrastructure requires bold... Read More

Politicians and automakers are all-in on the future of electric vehicles (EVs), driving historic change in an industry that has branded itself as an innovator since the days of Henry Ford’s first assembly line. American powerhouse General Motors recently pledged to stop producing gas-powered vehicles... Read More

2020 was a year of paradox. Even as our immediate world shrunk to family bubbles, we were reminded of the interconnectedness and vastness of humanity. We watched the world struggle with the same pandemic and challenges that we were facing. This global perspective is an immensely important one as we consider... Read More

In March, many of us packed our laptops and headed home for what we thought would be a short few weeks of working from home. Eight months later, not only are we still in the same predicament, but one-fifth of the workforce could be entirely remote after the pandemic. A growing number of companies, including... Read More