What’s at stake for energy, environment policy in Obama’s budget?

This week, Amy Harder of National Journal asked energy experts to comment on how President Obama’s budget would affect energy and environmental policies moving forward.

As minerals mining is a crucial piece of the advanced energy puzzle, Hal Quinn, president and CEO of National Mining Association, felt it was important to offer this perspective.

In his budget, President Obama increases funding for Advanced Research Project Agency to support early-stage energy technology innovations while also pushing a “dirt tax” that would penalize American mining — an industry whose innovation benefits the energy sector — by taxing them for every pound of dirt they move.

The “dirt tax” obstructs development of U.S. mineral resources, including those critical to advanced energy technologies. From cobalt used in hybrid vehicles to copper and nickel used in solar cells and wind turbines, minerals are essential to America’s next-generation energy technologies.