Interior looks to make mining a matter of national security

The Interior Department on Friday issued a list of rare metals and minerals deemed critical to the U.S. economy as part of the Trump administration's agenda to support mining as a national security priority. “Any shortage of these resources constitutes a strategic vulnerability for the security and prosperity of the United States,” said Tim Petty, assistant secretary of the Interior for water and science. The draft list of 35 minerals published Friday are deemed "critical" to the U.S. and include such highly prized metals such as aluminum, the platinum group of metals used for catalytic agents, and rare-earth elements that are used in batteries and such high-tech devices as smartphones and missile guidance systems. The work in compiling the critical element list was done by the U.S. Geologic Survey, an agency that "is at the heart of our nation’s mission to reduce our vulnerability to disruptions in the supply of critical minerals,” Petty said. The list will be available for comment by industry and the public until March 19. The National Mining Association, the lead industry group for mining in the U.S., on Friday said the list isn't extensive enough. Hal Quinn, the head of the mining group, urged Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to expand the scope of "criticality" by broadening the list of metals and rare earth elements to include "all minerals." “All minerals are ‘critical’ when we need them and can’t get them,” Quinn said. The Interior Department "should act to address the greatest threat to U.S. mineral security: the broken domestic mining permitting process.” Quinn appeared hopeful that the Interior Department may consider a broader definition of criticality when it finalizes the list later this year, saying the Friday notice from the agency acknowledges "the drawbacks" in the methods used to define what constitutes a critical element or metal...more