FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Sid Smith — ssmith@miningamerica.org
SPOKANE, WA – The American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA) criticized today’s decision by the U.S. Department of Interior to withdraw 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest in Minnesota from mineral entry and development.
“Today, the Biden-Harris administration announced yet another massive mineral withdrawal, locking up 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest in Minnesota – lands containing huge, world-class deposits of cobalt, nickel and copper. These metals are vital to defense technologies, the electric grid, and the administration’s top priority of fighting climate change by reducing carbon emissions,” American Exploration & Mining Association Executive Director Mark Compton.
“In September,” Compton continued, “I co-authored an op-ed with Congressman Pete Stauber, whose district includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the massive withdrawal at issue today. Back then, we urged the Biden administration no to withdraw these lands, noting, ‘…our own government, which acknowledges our supply chain deficiencies, is often standing in the way with misguided policies…’ Today’s decision ignores the comprehensive environmental laws and regulations under which modern mines are designed and operated, and is just another sad chapter illustrating the way this administration sabotages itself.”
The 2022 USGS Mineral Commodity Survey reported that in 2021, the United States was 76 percent import reliant for cobalt supplies, and nearly 50 percent import reliant for nickel and copper. Demand for each of these commodities is increasing, as renewable energy projects are deployed and auto manufacturers begin to ramp up production of electric vehicles – all of which are extremely mineral intensive.