“American Mineral Security Act of 2015” Headed to Senate Hearing

In March, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) introduced the “American Mineral Security Act of 2015” in an effort to improve the United States’ current mining permitting policy. More specifically, the bill aims to reduce inefficiencies in the process of opening new mines in order to help secure the critical minerals needed to support the American economy. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee has scheduled a hearing to receive testimony in regards to this legislation on Tuesday, May 12th.  This testimony will help demonstrate that reforming the current U.S. mining permitting policy is vital to the nation’s economy and manufacturing sectors. Sen. Murkowski states,

“To improve the efficiency of the notoriously slow federal permitting process for new mines, the American Mineral Security Act includes a series of reasonable steps to reduce delays and ensure timely decisions. The seven to 10 years it currently takes to approve a new mine in the United States is often singled out as a serious liability for our competitiveness and ability to draw investment.”

Sen. Murkowski’s bill has received wide support from the mining industry. National Mining Association’s (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn applauded the legislation, stating:

“Sen. Murkowski’s bill…will modernize the permitting system for U.S. mining to better position our country to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Simply, her bill will better prepare our country to meet the competitive challenges we face in strengthening future economic growth and the U.S. manufacturing revival.”

In fact, Metal Miner says the bill will be a “sweeping reform of the several hurdles that face domestic miners” and is a “common-sense call to action” that will improve the U.S. mining industry.

The “American Mineral Security Act of 2015” will be heard before the Senate committee on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 10:00 AM EDT. Stay tuned to hear more on the progress of Sen. Murkowski’s critical legislation and this Senate hearing.

Read more on Sen. Murkowski’s legislation here and become an advocate for mining here.