As the 2020 pandemic unfolded, it became clear that some of our nation’s important supply chains were weak or broken due to our reliance on foreign sources of raw materials. These materials included minerals needed for many consumer products and pharmaceuticals. Store shelves became bare of essential items, and discussions concerning critical minerals that sustain our infrastructure and where they are produced hit the news. We began to understand that over the past decades, many of the products needed and enjoyed come from China and other countries that are not always our allies.
Looking back, we recognized America’s need to develop a strong economy, using domestic resources and reducing dependency on foreign sources.
The mining industry, which provides raw materials for manufacturing, addresses concerns related to mining projects through a complex framework of local, state, and federal permitting regulations. A key goal of working together with stakeholder communities is a healthy and sustainable environment for future generations to benefit from and enjoy.
Unfortunately, mining has many opponents who typically base their arguments on the faulty premise that one must choose between mining and the environment. To the contrary, modern mining projects in the U.S. are highly regulated, designed to protect the environment, provide substantial financial assurance to guarantee reclamation, and place the utmost importance on worker health and safety.
An undeniable truth is that mining and environmental protection are compatible, and mineral products make possible both the development of our society and the mitigation of modern society’s impact on the environment.
As the nation moves forward, we anticipate an increased focus on policies supporting green-energy projects. Advancing solar and wind energy and shifting to electric vehicles will require substantial amounts of minerals, including copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, and vanadium, as well as gold and silver. Mining is the foundation of the supply chain for nearly every sector of our economy. Minerals play an essential role in building and maintaining America’s infrastructure, including renewable energy and the storage batteries critical to increasing its use.
It is important to work together with a goal of finding the sustainable middle ground to achieve our objectives of a strong economy based on domestic resources and manufacturing while protecting the environment. The Women’s Mining Coalition looks forward to an open and transparent dialogue on these issues. Let’s work together to achieve these goals and to create a stronger, more self-sustaining America.
Emily Arthun of Gillette, Wyoming, is coordinator of the nonprofit Women’s Mining Coalition (wmc-usa.org/). The coalition’s president is Sara Thorne of Carson City, Nevada. This commentary resulted from the compilation of several coalition members.
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National View: Mining, environmental protection compatible, feed domestic supply chains - Duluth News Tribune
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