NMA Mining Minute

Alaska has entered into the first of its kind memorandum of understanding with the US Permitting Improvement Steering Council, which is designed to move priority mining and oil-and-gas proposals faster through the permitting process. The FAST-41 cooperation with Alaska could decrease the environmental permitting time by up to 25 percent through a process that encourages coordinated schedules, earl...

The Wall Street Journal today has an editorial on the Resolution Copper project, highlighting it as a prime example of why it takes too long to build anything in the United States and calling for permitting reform. Critical Metals Corp has signed a ten-year offtake agreement to supply rare earth concentrate to Ucore Rare Metal's US processing facility. Critical Metals expects to supply up to 10,00...

It seems the term of the year of rare earths, given that hardly a week goes by without major headlines on their importance to the global economy. So let's take a closer look at rare earths news today.   President Trump warned this week that he could impose as much as 200% tariffs on imports with China unless China guarantees rare earth magnet shipments to the US. China has been sensitive about sec...

The USGS yesterday released its draft revised critical minerals list, adding copper, silver, potash, silicon, rhenium and lead and removing arsenic and tellurium. The list includes 54 minerals that the Department of Interior deemed critical to the US economy and national security. The list is updated every three years under the Energy Act of 2020. Today's publication in the Federal Register begins...

Piedmont Lithium and Sayona Mining received preliminary approval on a $623 million merger from shareholders on Friday. Several lithium companies have been consolidating and delaying projects following instability in lithium prices. The merger will result in Piedmont becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Sayona. It seems everyone wants to mine in Africa to counter China's mining influence there and...

Using his 202c authority under the Federal Power Act, Energy Secretary Chris Wright yesterday extended his order to keep the JH Campbell coal plant in Michigan running past its planned closure to ensure the reliability of the grid in the region. Although few journalists have chosen to report on the facts, the plant—which would have been offline if it weren't for the Department of Energy's emergenc...

The New York Times looks at how US talks with Brazil over its millions of tons of rare earth minerals have been disrupted by recent trade disputes. The two countries have reportedly been in talks for years to determine how the US could help Brazil unlock its vast reserves of rare earths. But when President Trump targeted the country with 50 percent tariffs in support of the former Brazilian presid...

We brought you the news yesterday on the latest court delay for the Resolution Copper project, and now President Trump has weighed in. Last night, the President wrote on Truth Social of the court delays to this much needed project, quote, "Those that fought it are Anti-American, and representing other Copper competitive Countries. We can't continue to allow this to happen to the U.S.A.!" The Presi...

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals late Monday temporarily blocked federal officials from completing the land swap that was expected today to advance the Resolution Copper project. The temporary injunction will be in place while it considers the merits of lawsuits seeking to stop the transfer of federal land to the joint venture of BHP and Rio Tinto. The transfer had been expected to occur on...

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...

The New York Times has an interesting piece on how AI is upending the electricity markets. Nationally, the average electricity rate has risen more than 30 percent since 2020, increases mostly driven by utilities' grid maintenance and upgrades. But, in the coming years, A.I. is expected to accelerate those increases, with some estimating rates will rise an average of 8 percent nationwide by 2030 an...

The Energy Department yesterday announced it is proposing nearly $1 billion in funding to speed the development of U.S. critical minerals and materials. The department intends to offer funding for mining, processing and manufacturing technologies in the critical minerals and materials supply chains. The four categories for notices of funding opportunities include: Critical Minerals and Materials A...

In the policy world, the EPA is reportedly preparing to extend deadlines set by the Biden administration regarding its effluent limitation guidelines rule, which presented plant owners with tight timelines and unproven technologies intended to force coal plant closures.   A proposal to amend the Biden administration's rule is undergoing review by the White House and the EPA expects the new proposa...

After a major lithium mine in China said its license had expired and that production there had been suspended, global lithium prices surged in a rally that some analysts are saying is a bit too ambitious. Shares in some lithium producers climbed by more than 20% on Monday, but there are still a lot of unknowns about how future lithium output may be affected in China, caution market experts. Elsewh...

New Mexico's Four Corners coal power plant is joining the long list of coal plants whose retirement dates have been postponed due to surging power demand. Originally slated to retire in 2031, the plant, located on Navajo Nation land, will now retire in 2038. With increased power demand comes the need for fuel. On Friday, the Interior Department approved a plan allowing the Antelope Mine to operate...

Yesterday, President Trump's sweeping tariffs on goods from more than 60 countries and the European Union took effect. While the larger economic picture around the tariffs has yet to come into focus, these are the highest U.S. tariff levels since the 1930s.   The Trump administration has struck frameworks for trade deals with nearly a dozen of the country's largest trading partners, including Japa...

When Secretary of Energy Chris Wright used emergency authority to extend the life of the J.H Campbell coal plant in Michigan at the end of May -- siting a dire threat to grid reliability in the MISO electricity market – the decision was met with a broadside of a criticism. With data now available for plant operations through June, it's clear extending the life of the plant did exactly what was int...

The United Nations has developed a proposal for a "Global Minerals Trust" that would join countries that produce critical minerals to jointly manage a stockpile of pooled commodities in an effort to avoid shortages, encourage recycling, support production and prioritize minerals for sustainable developers. In order to secure a more reliable global supply chain, researchers at the U.N. say this kin...

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the US and China are quote "about halfway there" on making a deal to ensure access to rare earths and magnets flows from China to the US. Those trade talks continue. But the fact that we're only halfway there is not only a problem for the U.S. but China's leverage in this area is recognized as a vulnerability for countries around the world. As a result...

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that China is restricting key minerals to Western defense manufacturers, putting at risk their ability to make everything from weapons to aircraft. Recall that U.S.–China trade tensions — and agreements — have included some concessions by China to loosen restrictions on rare earths that were impacting the auto sector. Those negotiations have not, however, inclu...

The White House reportedly met last week with rare earths, technology and recycling companies to discuss ways to ramp up production of rare earths and magnets, which have become a key point of leverage in the trade war with China. Trade adviser Peter Navarro reportedly led the meeting and told the executives that the administration is planning a major push to boost U.S. production of rare earths,...

Yesterday, President Trump unveiled 50% tariffs on copper products. U.S. copper prices had surged to records after Trump said he would impose a 50% import tax on the metal. But yesterday the White House said copper ores, concentrate, cathodes and scrap would be exempted with the tariffs focusing on products made with copper, such as pipe and wire. The news normalized market prices, which are now b...

As we previewed yesterday, the EPA Tuesday afternoon released a draft rule to repeal the endangerment finding. The new rule would rescind a 2009 declaration that serves as the legal basis for a host of climate regulations under the Clean Air Act for motor vehicles, power plants and other sources of emissions. Yesterday's action now starts an extensive review process and period of public comment, w...

The EPA will this afternoon release a draft rule to repeal the endangerment finding, the finding that is the basis for the EPA's rules regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The draft rule will be released jointly with the proposed reversal of tailpipe emissions rules for light-, medium- and heavy-duty cars and trucks. While today's announcement focuses on the auto industry, there are implications f...

The International Energy Agency is now expecting global coal demand to reach an all-time high of 8.79 billion metric tons in 2025, a 1.5% increase from 2024's previous record of 8.77 billion tons. This jump counters what the agency previously believed would be a decline in coal use as renewable energy gained market share. One energy analyst commented, "The surprising resilience of coal highlights...