Americans Overwhelmingly Support Increasing Domestic Mining

What you need to know

• A recent Harris Poll conducted for the National Mining Association found that eighty-three percent of Americans say increasing domestic mining is important to U.S. economic and national security.
• Permitting reform conversations are advancing, with White House officials increasingly engaging in negotiations with Congress and Senate Democrats agreeing to resume permitting reform negotiations for the first time since December.
• The House passed bipartisan legislation to align the federal government’s critical minerals lists between the Department of Energy and the U.S. Mineral Commodity Geological Survey.

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT AND CEO

March 18, 2026

Dear Friend,

Global tensions over the last few years have highlighted weaknesses in our supply chains, especially around mining. A recent Harris Poll conducted on behalf of the National Mining Association found that eighty-three percent of Americans – more than 4 in 5 people – say that increased U.S. minerals production is essential to our economic and national security. Given that our import reliance on non-fuel commodities and minerals grew from 2024 to 2025, even with a slew of executive actions from the Trump administration, Americans are right to be concerned.

Virtually every component of modern military equipment, including our advanced weapons systems, cyber infrastructure and even the protective equipment our troops wear, relies on minerals. However, our ability to secure those minerals is hamstrung by our reliance on adversaries like China, whose dominance in the space allows them to restrict our access and make us continuously more vulnerable.

We know that reversing our decades-long mineral import trends can’t happen overnight, and executive action alone is not enough to curb our reliance on mineral imports. Despite a wide-ranging strategy from the administration that includes grants, loans and investments, public-private partnerships, international alliances, price floors and more, the USGS reported last month that our minerals import reliance once again got worse. The administration’s actions will break this negative trend, but it will take congressional action to codify the positive steps that have been taken and streamline processes that have locked projects in permitting limbo for years.

We have a clear path forward. Passing permitting reform legislation like the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act and the SPEED Act will allow us to clear the red tape and start getting shovels in the ground sooner. The tools needed to unleash American mineral dominance and give our troops the tools they need to succeed are right here at home. The Senate must take action and send the critical permitting reform legislation this country needs to the President’s desk.

Thank you,

Rich Nolan
National Mining Association (NMA)
President and CEO