NMA Mining Minute
Your morning newscast covering the top mining-related stories of the day, brought to you by the National Mining Association. NMA is the only national trade organization that serves as the voice of the U.S. mining industry and the hundreds of thousands of American workers it employs before Congress, the federal agencies, the judiciary and the media, advocating for public policies that will help America fully and responsibly utilize its vast natural resources. We work to ensure America has secure and reliable supply chains, abundant and affordable energy, and the American-sourced materials necessary for U.S. manufacturing and economic security, all delivered under world-leading environmental, safety and labor standards.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-30-2026
01/30/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-30-2026
At a cabinet meeting yesterday, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright briefed President Trump on the vital role coal has played in keeping the lights on across the country over the past week. And speaking of reliability, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation yesterday issued its 2026 Long-Term Reliability Assessment, which found that by 2029, nearly two-thirds of the country will move into a “high risk” category, with power reserves dropping below safety margins, bringing a risk of power shortages. The national Mining Association’s CEO Rich Nolan commented on the report saying, “This assessment should put to bed any debate about the need to keep America’s coal plants running–the era of energy subtraction must permanently be put in the rearview mirror.” And Australia is today responding to the reports from yesterday that the US is backing away from price floors for Minerals. It says it will support its critical mineral supply chains with its Resources Minister saying the news, quote, “won't stop Australia (from) pursuing our critical minerals strategic reserve programme to make sure Australia has access to the resources it needs to build a future made in Australia.” She continued, saying, quote, “We'll have a number of mechanisms, a floor price will be one through offtake agreements.”
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NMA Mining Minute 1-28-2026
01/28/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-28-2026
The story of the week continues to be the brutal cold spell that has settled across much of the U.S., putting added strain on a grid that is already stretched thin. In emergency orders issued in the past several days, Energy Secretary Chris Wright ordered plants to run without limits “to mitigate blackouts.” This is in addition to earlier orders DOE issued to keep several coal plants online that were set to prematurely retire. In the PJM region, which covers 13 states and Washington, D.C., coal, natural gas and nuclear have accounted for 83% of power around midday yesterday. The takeaway? We can’t afford to prematurely retire well-operating plants. It’s a lesson Germany is learning the hard way. After an extensive and rapid expansion into renewables and many commitments to turn away from its coal plants, many of those same plants are now back in action, profitable, and ramping up output this month during a particularly cold spell. The plants are now even cheaper to run than gas-fired generators, and are playing a key role in keeping the lights on when demand peaks. Finally, in the metals markets, Citigroup analysts expect spot silver prices to hit a record $150 an ounce within the next three months, continuing a record breaking run that has seen prices jump nearly 50% in January. In making its predictions, analysts said, “Silver is behaving like ‘gold squared’ or ‘gold on steroids’.”
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NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: House Passes CRA to End Minnesota Mining Ban
01/27/2026
NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: House Passes CRA to End Minnesota Mining Ban
Last week Congressman Pete Stauber led the passage in the House of a key Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to reverse the prior administration’s unfounded withdrawal of more than 225,000 acres of federal lands from mining in Northern Minnesota. The resolution still needs to pass the Senate and be signed by the President. Our country is currently 100 percent import reliant for 15 minerals that our supply chains absolutely need—and we don’t have to be. We have these minerals right here at home, but our access is obstructed by outdated policies that don’t reflect the modern world. In fact, this specific mining ban was enacted in an area of the United States that contains significant mineral deposits including more than 90 percent of the nation’s deposits of nickel and cobalt, and about a third of our nation’s copper. We are in the most mineral intensive time in history. And we have some of the most mineral rich lands in the world. Fortunately, the U.S. is home to the world’s top environmental, labor and safety regulations, making this the absolute best place to secure the minerals we need for everything from data center construction to power grid transmission upgrades, defense systems to high tech applications. We urge the Senate to join the House in taking the steps necessary to re-risk our supply chains, chip away at China’s mineral dominance, and create the potential for a lot of high-quality American jobs in Minnesota and beyond.
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NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: Winter Storm
01/26/2026
NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: Winter Storm
The first major winter storm of 2026 is here, with tens-of-millions of Americans across a 2,000 mile stretch of the country affected. And no surprise, the nation’s shaky supply of power is once again under the microscope. The challenges grid operators are facing in keeping the power flowing have been years in the making. Deeply unwise decisions to tear down essential power plants – namely coal capacity – have left the nation short of dispatchable power—and remarkably unprepared for rapidly rising power demand from electrification and the data center boom. The nation’s grid reliability regulators have repeatedly warned that major, multistate storms and plunging temperatures now pose a severe threat to our supply of power. Regional grids lean on each other to navigate peak demand and power shortages. But when multiple grids fall short of power, there is no cavalry to ride to the rescue. Of course, that wasn’t always the case. There’s a very good reason the Trump administration has zeroed in on keeping coal power plants on the grid and stopping plant retirements. Time and again, during winter emergencies, coal generation has surged power when other sources of electricity haven’t been able to. As the nation faces rising power prices – up 40% since 2020 – increased natural gas price volatility and a grid reliability crisis, there’s no threading the affordability and reliability needle without the coal fleet.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-23-2026
01/23/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-23-2026
The massive storm expected this weekend is still approaching but high natural gas prices have already arrived. Throughout the week, prices have surged anywhere between 25 and 75 percent higher than the previous week. As grids across the country brace for major impacts to tens of millions of Americans, the importance of a balanced, divers fuel supply becomes all the more important in managing price shocks and keeping the lights on. Coal demand in Southeast Asia is growing at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world, with demand expected to rise by more than 4 percent a year through the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency report. The numbers reflect the global reality around rising energy demands and the need for secure, reliable, affordable electricity. And yesterday, during a Natural Resources Subcommittee hearing on deep sea mining, the partisan divide around new efforts to fast-track new seabed mining projects was evident. It’s clearly an issue that will get a deeper look on the Hill and beyond.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-22-2026
01/22/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-22-2026
The House—following the steadfast leadership of Rep. Pete Stauber—yesterday passed legislation Wednesday that would reverse a Biden ban on mining on more than 225,000 acres of public lands in Minnesota. The important measure now moves to the Senate for action. Yesterday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced a revision to regulations under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act that would streamline the seabed mining permitting process. The existing process requires a two-step sequential application process, where an applicant first applies for an exploration license and then applies for the commercial recovery permit. The new rules, which take effect immediately, consolidate these applications into a single, shorter review. Finally, as the pundits and analysts ponder what is part of the potential Greenland framework President Trump says has been agreed, expect to hear a lot more about that country’s mineral resources, and the challenges in accessing them.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-21-2026
01/21/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-21-2026
OpenAI is following Microsoft’s lead and is pledging to pay higher electricity prices for the data centers it is building across the U.S. Microsoft’s similar commitment was praised by President Trump. The pledges come amidst community backlashes against data centers are building across the country. The Democratic Republic of Congo has given the US government a list of manganese, copper, cobalt, gold and lithium projects for U.S. investors to consider as part of a minerals partnership. US officials received the list last week. And in dealmaking news, leading U.S. uranium group Energy Fuels has agreed to acquire Australian Strategic Materials to create a “mines-to-metal” leader in the race to build a secure supply chains outside of China for rare earths.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-20-2026
01/20/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-20-2026
As President Trump threatens new tariffs on Europe stemming from his desire to take over Greenland, investors pushed gold and silver prices to new highs. West Virgina is getting an new $850 million advanced coal reformation facility, a project expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs and more than 200 permanent positions once the plant is operational. The facility is expected to expand commercial uses of coal beyond traditional electricity generation and steelmaking, converting it into fuels, fertilizers and industrial carbon products with no waste. And this week, the House is going to look at the controversial topic of seabed mining. The Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Thursday will examine regulatory barriers to offshore mining.
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NMA Mining Minute Special: Spice Metals
01/19/2026
NMA Mining Minute Special: Spice Metals
Let’s talk about spice metals. And no, this isn’t the start of a new NMA cooking show. But spice metals– like seasoning in the kitchen – are elements where just a little bit, even tiny amounts, can have a transformative impact. Andy Home, metals columnist for Reuters, recently had a great example with semiconductors. As he observed, silicon has been the wafer material of choice for semiconductors for decades but is close to its technical limits when it comes to advanced computing. But toss in just a pinch of gallium and germanium, and the chip's capacity rises exponentially. Or take antimony. Even a tiny amount can dramatically increase the hardness and durability of alloys. There’s a reason why it’s used in more than 500 munitions. That transformative impact is true for a wide variety of metals. Everything from scandium and vanadium to tellurium, boron and molybdenum. These metals – often used almost in immeasurable quantities -- have transformed our economy, national security and the very way we live--even if many of us have never heard of them. Their importance underscores a new reality: all minerals are now critical in one way or another. Or said another way, in the technology age, mining is critical.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-16-2026
01/16/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-16-2026
The National Coal Council is back. Yesterday the reestablished council met for the first time after being disbanded during the previous administration. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Energy Secretary Chris Wright were in attendance where they noted coal is key to lowering electricity prices and providing the 30-50 gigawatts of power needed for U.S. leadership in AI. Later yesterday, Secretary Wright spoke at the U.S. Energy Association’s State of the Industry Forum where he had a strong message advocating for coal, telling the audience: “It's by far and away, the world's largest source of electricity generation … and it will be the largest source of global electricity generation for decades to come.” He noted that the Department of Energy has stopped the closure of 17 GW of coal power in the U.S. as it looks to reinforce the nation’s grid. And the grid and power prices are front and center at the White House today. According to reporting, the Trump administration is planning to propose that the PJM Interconnection, the nation’s largest grid operator, hold an emergency auction in which tech companies would bid to have new power plants built. The directive, expected at event today with several northeastern governors, comes as a response to surging electricity prices driven by the data center boom. And this week Amazon signed a new deal to buy copper from Rio Tinto for its data centers produced from a special process using microorganisms to remove copper from sulphide ores. Rio Tinto late last year began using the bioleaching process to extract copper from U.S. ores that are traditionally hard to process and often become waste.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-15-2026
01/15/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-15-2026
Yesterday, President Trump announced the completion of the section 232 trade investigation into critical minerals and ordered U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to "enter into negotiations with trading partners to adjust the imports of (critical minerals) so that they will not threaten to impair the national security of the United States." The negotiations, the administration added, should promote the use of price floors, with the White House noting the need to create diverse and more resilient supply chains to counterbalance the influence of non-market practices by foreign actors. And turning to Congress, Axios reports a bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing new legislation today to establish a $2.5 billion "Strategic Resilience Reserve" (SRR) for critical minerals. The SECURE Minerals Act would create a hybrid between the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and the Federal Reserve. The proposed Reserve would be overseen by a seven-member board, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. And like the strategic petroleum reserve, it would establish storage facilities to warehouse supplies of key materials. And the Financial Times reports more than 100 new coal power projects are set to start supplying electricity worldwide in 2026. The 104 projects in total opening this year are among 439 under construction. China remains the story in the development of new coal capacity, accounting for 212 gigawatts of the 256 gigawatts of total new capacity under construction.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-14-2026
01/14/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-14-2026
Data Centers and mining go hand in hand, both because of the minerals and materials vital to build them, and because of the vast amounts of energy needed to run them. So let’s take a closer look at data centers, which are now in the headlines every day. Microsoft yesterday announced a Community-First AI Infrastructure Initiative, which will have the company paying more for the electricity that serves its data centers, including paying for associated infrastructure costs. Microsoft said when making the announcement, “Especially when tech companies are so profitable, we believe that it’s both unfair and politically unrealistic for our industry to ask the public to shoulder added electricity costs for AI. Instead, we believe the long-term success of AI infrastructure requires that tech companies pay their own way for the electricity costs they create.” President Trump clearly agrees, writing in a Truth Social post earlier this week, quote, “I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,” Trump wrote. And there is a column in today’s Wall Street Journal that comments on widespread backlash against data centers and their impact on both rising electricity bills and the environment saying in part, “Data center moratoriums are the new fracking bans.” The column smartly goes on to observe that the current energy debacle we’re in—which includes the challenge of meeting data center power needs--is very much in part due to the fact that, in the past decade, reliable coal and nuclear power generation were dismantled faster than they could be replaced with reliable alternatives and, quote, “too many CEOs failed to challenge energy policies they knew were unworkable.” End quote. We have a chance to fix those policies now and make smart choices that support the growth of the technologies of the future.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-13-2026
01/13/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-13-2026
Bipartisan members of the House yesterday introduced legislation intended to boost mineral diplomacy and counter China’s global minerals dominance. The Developing Overseas Mineral Investments and New Allied Networks for Critical Energies – or DOMINANCE ACT focuses on US work with international partners to develop supply chains for critical minerals through the Minerals Security Partnership. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is calling on tech companies to advocate with the President to compromise with Democrats who want to lift a pause on wind and solar projects in order to restart permitting reform talks. But even as Democrats are calling for them to enter the debate, representatives for the Data Centers say they’ve been advocating in favor of permitting all along. A representative for the Data Center Coalition said, in part, quote, “It’s a pretty simple equation. The time it takes to build a data center and the time it takes to build new energy infrastructure is just mismatched in this country, so our priority lies in trying to minimize that delta as much as possible.” And questions around the independence of the Fed, let to another historic day for gold and silver prices yesterday, with both setting new records.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-12-2026
01/12/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-12-2026
The Wall Street Journal looks at the ways that surging copper demand is driving mining mergers and deals, as the world becomes more concerned that demand will soon exceed supply. Following up on a minerals deal signed between Australia and the US in October, representatives from Australia will join other allies in Washington this week to brief them on plans for its critical minerals strategic reserve, which will initially prioritize shoring up supplies of antimony, gallium and rare earth elements to meet the needs of makers of fighter jets, semiconductors and other technologies. In related news, the US is hosting a gathering of G-7 ministers to discuss rare earths this week, underscoring the shared push to develop alternative supplies in an industry dominated by China. In addition to Australia, the discussions are expected to include officials from Canada, South Korea, India, Mexico, the European Union and Japan, and focus on critical raw materials and the security of global supply chains.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-9-2026
01/09/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-9-2026
Congress, under the leadership of Representative Pete Stauber, is working to overturn the Biden administration’s ban on new mining in minerals rich areas of Minnesota. Stauber plans to introduce a Congressional Review Act resolution as soon as today that would reverse the Biden withdrawal and bar future administrations from implementing a similar policy. White House trade lead Peter Navarro said yesterday that he believes American industrial breakthroughs will help boost US domestic production of minerals and eliminate China’s market dominance of rare earths, and he noted that this is a priority for the administration. And looking at industry news, Rio Tinto and Glencore are reportedly in talks about a deal that could create the world’s largest mining company with a market value of more than $200 billion. A potential combination of the two companies was first reported a year ago.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-8-2026
01/08/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-8-2026
China’s up to its same old tricks – reminding the world of the chokehold it has on the world’s rare earths supply chains. It is now limiting rare earths exports to Japan, impacting its ability to produce components for global chip makers, and the auto and defense industries. The move is reportedly in retaliation for comments by Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae suggesting the country could become involved in a conflict over Taiwan. All the more reason for us in the US to double down on developing our own domestic supply chains. And in Congress, yesterday the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing that suggested that nuclear power could be one of Washington’s few areas getting bipartisan support. And finally the House is on track to pass bipartisan spending bills for the Department of Energy, the Interior Department, EPA and other agencies today. If the House passes the “minibus,” it could be up with the Senate next week. This is all part of the push to avoid another government shutdown after Jan. 30.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-7-2026
01/07/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-7-2026
While world events may have shifted the headlines a bit this week, here in the nation’s capital, groups are gathering to keep the spotlight squarely on permitting reform, engaging in a “Legislative Day of Action” to help advance meaningful, durable legislation to modernize our nation’s permitting processes. The National Mining Association will be there, and our President and CEO will speak at a 1 p.m. Eastern press conference alongside congressional leaders, including Congressman Bruce Westerman, and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce, American Road & Transportation Builders Association, Data Center Coalition and more. But when it comes to permitting, you’ll recall in December that some Senate Democrats said they would stall talks until the administration lifted its pause on offshore wind. Now it seems they’re expanding their list of demands. On Tuesday, Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich said he would also continue the pause on permitting talks until Interior Secretary Doug Burgum lifts an unofficial pause on solar energy projects as well. Finally, as the President restarts discussions around U.S. interests in Greenland, outlets around the world are looking at the country’s rare earths and mining potential.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-6-2026
01/06/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-6-2026
The Department of Energy announced it is awarding $2.7 billion in funding to three companies to increase domestic uranium enrichment. The announcement comes as President Donald Trump has sought to reinvigorate the United States' nuclear energy industry and move away from foreign sources of nuclear fuel. And Axios writes there seems to be a common thread emerging with President Trump’s aggressive stance towards Venezuela, Greenland and other Western hemisphere players: critical minerals. Along with tapping Venezuela's massive oil reserves, administration officials say developing the country's rare-earth minerals could help stabilize Venezuela’s finances and help the U.S. blunt China's mineral stranglehold. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Air Force One, Venezuela has “all the critical minerals. They have a great mining history that's gone rusty." And turning back home, the U.S. is now exporting more LNG than any other nation ever, with exports jumping 25% just last year. With export capacity set to grow dramatically over the remainder of the decade, the impact on domestic natural gas prices and power prices is a dynamic to watch closely.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-5-2026
01/05/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-5-2026
Congress had a nice long break for the holidays and now it’s back to business. Top of mind for many is permitting reform, with negotiations taking place in the midst of the potential for another government shutdown on Jan. 30. While US support of Mining projects here at home tends to increase interest and support for those projects, Canadians reportedly don’t want U.S. involvement in their mining projects. A story today looks at a proposed graphite mine in Canada which is facing increased opposition due, in part, to the Department of War’s support of the project. As one project opponent said, “Suddenly, the main big investor is the American army, who need a lot of graphite. People (now) want that even less.” Finally, a surge in data center build out and battery storage needs has also boosted the demand outlook for lithium this year. The lithium market struggled with oversupply for the last several years, but this year is expected to mark a turnaround as China’s power sector helped to fuel stronger than expected demand for lithium in the second half of 2025.
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NMA Mining Minute 1-2-2026
01/02/2026
NMA Mining Minute 1-2-2026
The Department of Energy this week issued an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal plant operational to ensure Americans have access to affordable, reliable, and secure electricity heading into the winter months. The order will keep Unit 1 at the Craig Station in Craig, Colorado, online to ensure grid reliability. So why is the Trump administration making these moves? Well, the Wall Street Journal has a cautionary piece on the missteps in the UK that led to an electricity crunch and high electricity prices. While the country raced to lead in the installation of solar and wind, and raced to shut down its coal plants, it failed to make the necessary transmission upgrades to move the energy around. The result? Electricity bills that are among the highest in the world and a grid that is teetering on the edge. And as the US looks at the missteps and successes of other countries around the world, The New York Times has a piece on China’s six decade long campaign to dominate the world’s rare earths markets.
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NMA Mining Minute Special: MISO Energy Prices
01/01/2026
NMA Mining Minute Special: MISO Energy Prices
Winter has arrived. And regional electricity grids are ramping up generation to meet high demand. Electricity prices in some regions are already soaring. But not everywhere. Notably, there’s a sharp divide emerging on affordability between the grids that have access to coal generation and those that don’t. When bitter cold recently descended across much of the country, prices in New England and New York soared while prices on the PJM grid, and, notably, the MISO grid covering much of the Midwest, largely shrugged off the cold. On the MISO grid – the only of the four where coal capacity still shoulders the majority of winter power demand – prices remained remarkably low. In fact, prices in New England were ten times higher. For both energy affordability and grid reliability, dispatchable fuel optionality is key. The lack of optionality in New York and New England – where both grids have eliminated their coal capacity – is proving a woefully expensive mistake. That’s your mining minute for this morning. Tune in for more from NMA TV.
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NMA Mining Minute Special: 2025 Year in Review
12/31/2025
NMA Mining Minute Special: 2025 Year in Review
This has certainly been the year of mining. Minerals—and securing access to them—have been in the headlines on a daily basis, with the Administration and Congress keenly focused on America’s minerals future. From executive orders to agency actions, the creation of the National Energy Dominance Council to investments and financing for a wide range of mining projects, the administration and policymakers have supercharged a new era of minerals independence and supply chain strength. The Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection agency and Department of Energy all focused on cutting regulatory barriers, while the USGS expanded the Critical Minerals List and the Department of War made good use of Defense Production Act funds. And thanks to the FAST41 program and NEPA improvements, more than 50 projects are now benefitting from new transparency in the permitting process. The message? mineral security is key to America’s economic strength, energy dominance and national security agenda. As we move into 2026, we need to ensure that the improvements that have been made are lasting, and an important way to do that is by Congress enacting comprehensive permitting reform.
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NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: EU Energy Affordability
12/30/2025
NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: EU Energy Affordability
Rising electricity prices in the United States – up about 32% over the past five years – have become an important issue for voters. Now imagine if prices had doubled. That’s the incredible reality facing Europe. Europe’s dash to renewables has come with eye-watering costs. How bad is it? Fully half of British households are expected to ration their electricity use this winter because of high prices. This a continent-wide affordability crisis for consumers, and it’s ushering in the rapid deindustrialization of long-time powerhouse industrial economies. According to the International Energy Agency, the average electricity prices for heavy industry in the E.U. are twice those in the U.S. and 50% above China. Europe is not only losing industry thanks to its electricity affordability debacle, it’s also finding it all but impossible to attract new energy-intensive industries, like the AI data centers leading the next economic revolution. Want to expand data center capacity in Germany? According to power providers in Frankfurt, it’s going to take a decade to get electricity to do so. The lesson here couldn’t be clearer: energy affordability, security and reliability, cannot be given second billing. As the U.S. faces soaring power demand, abundance is essential. That means expanding our energy systems and production to meet the moment, but it also means get even more out of the baseload capacity we already have.
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NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: Copper
12/29/2025
NMA-TV Mining Minute Special: Copper
With all eyes on copper, in this special edition of the NMA’s Mining Minute, we’re taking a closer look at what many are calling “the metal of electrification.” Known for its electrical and thermal conductivity, malleability and corrosion resistance, copper is key to cutting-edge technologies, including the electricity-hungry data centers that are a must for the AI revolution. That fact alone makes it no surprise that global demand for copper is expected to surge by 75 percent by 2050. And that could end up being a low estimate. S&P Global found that without new supply, the global potential supply-demand gap for copper could be massive. Copper scarcity, it says, “may emerge as a key destabilizing threat to international security.” As President Trump recently pointed out, copper is also the 2nd most used material by the department of defense. Here in the U.S., we have vast copper resources. But we’re still 45 percent import reliant to meet U.S. needs. Even worse, that’s up from 29 percent import reliant in 2016. And S&P expects our import reliance to grow to 60% by 2035. Fortunately, we can reverse that trend, if we can get out of our own way. Projects currently stalled in the permitting process dot the Western U.S. and Alaska. Whether it’s Resolution Copper, Copper World, Florence Copper, Twin Metals, NorthMet, Talon’s Tamarak or others, if we can get these projects moving, we’ll be in a much better position to meet increasing demand. We know the administration is focused on the challenge. President Trump recently announced copper tariffs intended to spur domestic production. And Interior Secretary Burgum quickly thereafter posted to social media, “Interior is onshoring our supply chains by fast-tracking mining permits while the President is incentivizing a DOMINANT U.S. copper industry.” We need this focus on copper. And we clearly need permitting reform to meet the demands of today and to ensure that made in America is also mined in America. That’s your Mining Minute Special Edition.
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NMA Mining Minute Special: Energy Prices
12/26/2025
NMA Mining Minute Special: Energy Prices
Affordability is the buzzword in Washington. That is certainly true when it comes to the debate about the nation’s electricity prices, up 32% over the past five years. But relief – at least immediate relief – is proving elusive. Sharply rising power demand – think data centers and AI -- and surging natural gas prices are only adding headwinds to an already challenging moment. Wholesale natural gas prices have jumped more than 70% in the past 12 months reaching the highest they’ve been since December of 2022 during the energy crisis sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Fortunately, there is some good news to be found for consumers, it’s with the coal fleet and the administration’s efforts to halt plant losses. As natural gas prices have jumped over the past year, coal generation has come to the rescue, taking market share from gas and alleviating pressure on ratepayers. Coal generation is up 13% through the end of September compared to last year. And with winter now here, utilization of the coal fleet is rising quickly. The optionality provided by the coal fleet is a price shock absorber. And ensuring the feet’s availability – exactly what the administration has done -- is affordability policy already paying dividends.
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NMA Mining Minute 12-25-2025
12/25/2025
NMA Mining Minute 12-25-2025
This holiday season, as you gather with loved ones at home to enjoy a holiday meal or open gifts, we hope that you’ll remember that mining makes every aspect of the holidays happen. Coal and uranium are providing baseload power right now, lighting holiday lights and keeping homes warm across the country. Lithium, nickel and copper, are key to the smart phones and electronics many are unwrapping under the tree. And for those jumping on planes to visit grandma, titanium and molybdenum help make aircraft strong, while silver and gold are key components of the GPS that will guide you through those final miles in the car, once you land. So whether it’s platinum or beryllium, gypsum or lead, you can be sure that a full range of mined materials will get you where you’re heading, will keep the lights on, and will keep everyone on your gift list happy. And for those of you staying at home this holiday season, who woke up to a stocking full of coal, that’s actually great news. During the recent cold snaps we’ve seen over the past week, coal has been the leading fuel for electricity generation so hang onto that coal, it may just come in handy if this unseasonably winter continues in the way it started.
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NMA Mining Minute 12-24-2025
12/24/2025
NMA Mining Minute 12-24-2025
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how energy stocks- from nuclear to coal to solar to natural gas, have all soared this year thanks to AI demand. Tuesday was another record breaking day for the metals markets with Gold, silver and copper prices hitting new records as geopolitical uncertainty continues to keep safe-haven demand high. And things could get ugly around permitting reform. Democrats said earlier this week that permitting talks were off unless the Trump administration reversed its pause on offshore wind and yesterday Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee responded. Lee is now calling for the Senate to eliminate the filibuster in order to pass a permitting. Sounds like things are going to get sporty.
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NMA Mining Minute 12-23-2025
12/23/2025
NMA Mining Minute 12-23-2025
Following the Trump administrations announcement that it would stop offshore wind projects, top Senate Democrats are threatening to derail permitting talks that have been picking up momentum in recent weeks, with hope for action in January. In a statement yesterday, Senate Environment and Public Works ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Energy and Natural Resources ranking member Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) put it bluntly saying, quote, ““There is no path to permitting reform if this administration refuses to follow the law.” The New York Times has an interesting piece looking at the difficulties experienced and work arounds put in place by the defense industry when China put restrictions on some rare-earth exports earlier this year, cutting off the supply of samarium, which is used to make Tomahawk missiles. And speaking of rare earths, and the lengths people will go to to get them, Japan announced today that it is preparing to conduct test mining of rare-earth-rich mud from the deep seabed southeast of Tokyo. Environmental impacts will be monitored both onboard and on the seabed throughout the operation to gather more information about the impacts of this untested technique.
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NMA Mining Minute 12-22-2025
12/22/2025
NMA Mining Minute 12-22-2025
Gold surged passed the $4,400-an-ounce mark today, with investors expecting more U.S. interest-rate cuts next year and heightened geopolitical risks. It’s risen about 70 percent this year, on track for its biggest gains in nearly 50 years. E&E reports that, while state regulators consider electricity rate structures next year, rising electricity prices are expected to be a hot topic during next year’s midterm elections. As electricity demand surges with data centers and AI, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average residential utility rate rose 5 percent between 2024 and 2025 and is forecast to rise another 4 percent between 2025 and 2026. We know it’s something the White House is watching closely and the Department of Energy is taking steps to limit the affordability and reliability crisis by keeping more coal plants online. And the New York Times Editorial Board today writes that it is time to end China’s rare earths dominance. It calls on Congress to pass legislation to expand the country’s rare earth capabilities, potentially modeled after the CHIPS Act.
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NMA Mining Minute 12-19-2025
12/19/2025
NMA Mining Minute 12-19-2025
Santa came a little early this year. Yesterday, the House passed the Speed Act and Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. Both bills passed with strong bipartisan support. NMA president and CEO Rich Nolan called yesterday’s vote a huge step forward on permitting reform and urged the Senate to take up these bills when Congress returns from after the holidays. And the shaky state of the nation’s power supply is in the spotlight again with alarming results from the PJM market’s latest capacity auction. PJM, the nation’s largest electricity market serving 67 million customers, saw capacity prices hit a new record for the third auction in a row. Despite auction prices hitting a recently installed price cap, the auction failed to procure enough capacity to meet PJM’s targeted reliability margin. Driven by the rapid addition of data centers, power demand in PJM continues to outpace efforts to bring new generating capacity to the marketplace.
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