Due to an inefficient permitting process, it can take up to 10 years to secure the necessary government approvals to mine in the U.S.—stifling job creation, halting economic growth and putting our national security at risk.  Rep. Amodei’s legislation aims to streamline the duplicative and unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles to mineral production.

H.R. 4402 will help revitalize the nation’s critical minerals supply chain and drive investment in a critical American industry. Help support this legislation ask your Member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 4402 to allow us to use our own American natural resources.

Tomorrow, the House Committee on Natural Resources will vote on Rep. Amodei’s bill. This is a real step toward solving the massive permitting delays that have put the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage versus the rest of the world. The current minerals mining permitting process in the U.S. takes as long as it does in Papua New Guinea. Meanwhile, countries like Australia and Canada have implemented efficient and well-reasoned processes that are driving investment in those nations over the U.S.

The simple reality is that inaction on permitting delays in the U.S. is hurting job creation, economic growth and our long-term security. Rep. Amodei’s legislation will help to solve the problem while still ensuring that every new project is properly reviewed.

Tomorrow’s vote moves America one step closer toward realizing its minerals mining potential and lowering our dangerous reliance on foreign minerals sources. It’s critical that you ask your member of Congress to co-sponsor H.R. 4402 to allow us to use our own American natural resources.

Burnett discussed President’s Obama’s recent announcement that the United States plans to file a case with the World Trade Organization against China’s export restriction on rare earth minerals. He noted that the United States relies almost exclusively on one supplier and there is no other country to turn to if China decides to withdraw key minerals from the market. Burnett reminds readers that America is home to more than $6.2 million worth of key minerals and those minerals can be used to bolster national security if legislation -- like that introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) -- is enacted to remedy the duplicative and outdated permitting process currently in place.

Read the full post here.

Mining analyst and editor of Kaiser Research Online, John Kaiser, noted that Molycorp is a vital part of the production equation, stating, “In five years there will be rare earths produced all over the world and China will lose its edge. They’re putting back into production what was once the largest rare-earth mine in the world. And this is a good thing because it takes away power concentrated in China.”

While Molycorp leads the way in rare earth minerals production, the critical need for an efficient U.S. mining permitting process remains essential to ensuring a reliable supply of domestic minerals.

Read the full article here.

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., in an op-ed published in The Washington Times, noted “although players have many options to win in the game, it is unclear whether the Obama administration, which is neglecting proven mining and development strategies that could develop a domestic rare earth supply, is playing to win in the real world.”

Rep. Coffman underlined the need for a comprehensive, long-term strategy for not only rare earths, but broader domestic minerals production in order to bolster national security and feed the United States’ “high-tech economy.” 

Read the full article here.

The blogger, Emily Sternfeld, a policy associate at the NAM, shared that from January 2010 to April 2012, employment in the manufacturing sector expanded by nearly 500,000 jobs, marking the strongest cyclical rebound since the recessions in the 1980s.

Read more here.

Arnold notes, “Rosemont Copper has proposed an operation that is sustainable, protective of the environment and uses the best technology available to provide 2,100 people with ongoing employment, tax dollars to help support our infrastructure and schools, as well as innumerable additional opportunities to many others. I and the thousands of employees, contractors, consultants and supporters have worked hard to make this project a model for the future.”

Read the full article here.

Hal Quinn, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, recently testified to members of the House Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee in support of the legislation, stating:

“Delaying permits for mining projects is not a new problem. What is new is the growing awareness of its implications for our nation, particularly in a highly competitive world economy in which the demand for minerals continues to grow, especially in fast growing economies led by China and India.”

Ars Technica, a leading technology and IT publication, recently touched on the topic of mineral import reliance and pointed to a report from the Congressional Research Office that suggests foreign policies restricting rare earth exports—such as those from China—are not expected to change any time soon, emphasizing the need for a more efficient U.S. permitting process.

Read the full Human Events article here and the Ars Technica piece here.

Last week, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the U.S. Forest Service approval of the rule, which allows mineral development on 19,000 acres out of 4.2 million overall. The post noted that without approval of this rule, mines employing nearly 1,000 miners earning average wages and benefits in excess of $100,000 annually would be lost.

Read more here.

Nelson noted that the federal government holdings include about 58 million acres in Nevada (83 percent of the state's total land mass), 45 million acres in California (45 percent) and 34 million acres in Utah (65 percent). The author also argued that public lands have not been managed efficiently to maximize national benefits, but instead, in response to political pressure.

“It is time to end the outdated federal land policies, which are draining our country's wealth, tying up valuable resources in red tape and bureaucracy and harming the environment,” said Nelson.

Read more here.