Pro-minerals mining legislation benefits states

Despite three years of double-digit unemployment in Nevada, the mining town of Elko in the northeast corner of the state is booming.

In an op-ed to The Elko Daily Free Press, Ray Bacon, executive director of the Nevada Manufacturers Association, proposes that if the entire state is to realize its economic potential like Elko has, Nevada must utilize its inherent resources.

Nevada is home to more than a dozen minerals that are crucial in the development of cutting-edge technologies that represent the future of American business and manufacturing. And mining in Nevada directly supports 12,000 jobs at an average salary of $83,000, with every direct job generating four indirect positions.

Bacon emphasizes the need for citizens to support legislation that “could increase production of Nevada’s vast mineral resources,” citing H.R. 4402, the “National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2012.” This bill, which passed the House earlier this month, would not only create a more efficient permitting process, but also “fuel innovation and manufacturing, and create stable, high-paying jobs that will improve our state economy and spur nationwide growth.”

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