NMA Mining Minute

Last week Congressman Pete Stauber led the passage in the House of a key Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to reverse the prior administration's unfounded withdrawal of more than 225,000 acres of federal lands from mining in Northern Minnesota. The resolution still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the President. Our country is currently 100 percent import reliant for 15 minerals t...

The first major winter storm of 2026 is here, with tens-of-millions of Americans across a 2,000 mile stretch of the country affected. And no surprise, the nation's shaky supply of power is once again under the microscope. The challenges grid operators are facing in keeping the power flowing have been years in the making. Deeply unwise decisions to tear down essential power plants – namely coal cap...

The massive storm expected this weekend is still approaching but high natural gas prices have already arrived. Throughout the week, prices have surged anywhere between 25 and 75 percent higher than the previous week. As grids across the country brace for major impacts to tens of millions of Americans, the importance of a balanced, divers fuel supply becomes all the more important in managing price...

The House—following the steadfast leadership of Rep. Pete Stauber—yesterday passed legislation Wednesday that would reverse a Biden ban on mining on more than 225,000 acres of public lands in Minnesota. The important measure now moves to the Senate for action. Yesterday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a revision to regulations under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resour...

OpenAI is following Microsoft's lead and is pledging to pay higher electricity prices for the data centers it is building across the U.S. Microsoft's similar commitment was praised by President Trump. The pledges come amidst community backlashes against data centers are building across the country. The Democratic Republic of Congo has given the US government a list of manganese, copper, cobalt, go...

As President Trump threatens new tariffs on Europe stemming from his desire to take over Greenland, investors pushed gold and silver prices to new highs. West Virgina is getting an new $850 million advanced coal reformation facility, a project expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent positions once the plant is operational. The facility is expected to expand...

Let's talk about spice metals. And no, this isn't the start of a new NMA cooking show. But spice metals– like seasoning in the kitchen – are elements where just a little bit, even tiny amounts, can have a transformative impact. Andy Home, metals columnist for Reuters, recently had a great example with semiconductors. As he observed, silicon has been the wafer material of choice for semiconductors...

The National Coal Council is back. Yesterday the reestablished council met for the first time after being disbanded during the previous administration. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were in attendance where they noted coal is key to lowering electricity prices and providing the 30-50 gigawatts of power needed for U.S. leadership in AI. Later yesterday, Secretary...

Yesterday, President Trump announced the completion of the section 232 trade investigation into critical minerals and ordered U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to "enter into negotiations with trading partners to adjust the imports of (critical minerals) so that they will not threaten to impair the national security of the United States." The negotiatio...

Data Centers and mining go hand in hand, both because of the minerals and materials vital to build them, and because of the vast amounts of energy needed to run them. So let's take a closer look at data centers, which are now in the headlines every day. Microsoft yesterday announced a Community-First AI Infrastructure Initiative, which will have the company paying more for the electricity that ser...

Bipartisan members of the House yesterday introduced legislation intended to boost mineral diplomacy and counter China's global minerals dominance. The Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies – or DOMINANCE ACT focuses on US work with international partners to develop supply chains for critical minerals through the Minerals Security Partnership.   Sen....

The Wall Street Journal looks at the ways that surging copper demand is driving mining mergers and deals, as the world becomes more concerned that demand will soon exceed supply. Following up on a minerals deal signed between Australia and the US in October, representatives from Australia will join other allies in  Washington this week to brief them on plans for its critical minerals strategic res...

Congress, under the leadership of Representative Pete Stauber, is working to overturn the Biden administration's ban on new mining in minerals rich areas of Minnesota. Stauber plans to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution as soon as today that would reverse the Biden withdrawal and bar future administrations from implementing a similar policy. White House trade lead Peter Navarro said y...

China's up to its same old tricks – reminding the world of the chokehold it has on the world's rare earths supply chains. It is now limiting rare earths exports to Japan, impacting its ability to produce components for global chip makers, and the auto and defense industries. The move is reportedly in retaliation for comments by Japan's Prime Minister Sanae suggesting the country could become invol...

While world events may have shifted the headlines a bit this week, here in the nation's capital, groups are gathering to keep the spotlight squarely on permitting reform, engaging in a "Legislative Day of Action" to help advance meaningful, durable legislation to modernize our nation's permitting processes. The National Mining Association will be there, and our President and CEO will speak at a 1...

The Department of Energy announced it is awarding $2.7 billion in funding to three companies to increase domestic uranium enrichment. The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has sought to reinvigorate the United States' nuclear energy industry and move away from foreign sources of nuclear fuel. And Axios writes there seems to be a common thread emerging with President Trump's aggressive s...

Congress had a nice long break for the holidays and now it's back to business. Top of mind for many is permitting reform, with negotiations taking place in the midst of the potential for another government shutdown on Jan. 30. While US support of Mining projects here at home tends to increase interest and support for those projects, Canadians reportedly don't want U.S. involvement in their mining...

The Department of Energy this week issued an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal plant operational to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The order will keep Unit 1 at the Craig Station in Craig, Colorado, online to ensure grid reliability. So why is the Trump administration making these moves? Well, the Wall Street Journ...

Winter has arrived. And regional electricity grids are ramping up generation to meet high demand. Electricity prices in some regions are already soaring. But not everywhere. Notably, there's a sharp divide emerging on affordability between the grids that have access to coal generation and those that don't. When bitter cold recently descended across much of the country, prices in New England and Ne...

This has certainly been the year of mining. Minerals—and securing access to them—have been in the headlines on a daily basis, with the Administration and Congress keenly focused on America's minerals future. From executive orders to agency actions, the creation of the National Energy Dominance Council to investments and financing for a wide range of mining projects, the administration and policyma...

Rising electricity prices in the United States – up about 32% over the past five years – have become an important issue for voters. Now imagine if prices had doubled. That's the incredible reality facing Europe. Europe's dash to renewables has come with eye-watering costs. How bad is it? Fully half of British households are expected to ration their electricity use this winter because of high price...

With all eyes on copper, in this special edition of the NMA's Mining Minute, we're taking a closer look at what many are calling "the metal of electrification." Known for its electrical and thermal conductivity, malleability and corrosion resistance, copper is key to cutting-edge technologies, including the electricity-hungry data centers that are a must for the AI revolution. That fact alone make...

Affordability is the buzzword in Washington. That is certainly true when it comes to the debate about the nation's electricity prices, up 32% over the past five years. But relief – at least immediate relief – is proving elusive. Sharply rising power demand – think data centers and AI -- and surging natural gas prices are only adding headwinds to an already challenging moment. Wholesale natural gas...

This holiday season, as you gather with loved ones at home to enjoy a holiday meal or open gifts, we hope that you'll remember that mining makes every aspect of the holidays happen. Coal and uranium are providing baseload power right now, lighting holiday lights and keeping homes warm across the country. Lithium, nickel and copper, are key to the smart phones and electronics many are unwrapping un...

The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how energy stocks- from nuclear to coal to solar to natural gas, have all soared this year thanks to AI demand. Tuesday was another record breaking day for the metals markets with Gold, silver and copper prices hitting new records as geopolitical uncertainty continues to keep safe-haven demand high. And things could get ugly around permitting reform. Democra...