WASHINGTON - This week, Newsweek published U.S. Senator Jim Risch’s (R-Idaho) column advocating for Congress to strengthen domestic mining because of its substantive ability to drive our economy and protect our national security.  

Select excerpts from the column are below:

“The minerals we need exist in the U.S., often in abundant quantities. But it is difficult to mine and process them here, so we import them. Worse yet, we rely heavily on unfriendly countries like China, which have not hesitated to abuse their stranglehold over the mineral supply chain. Our need for these minerals will only grow over time, giving China significant leverage over us.”

. . .

“The U.S. will be stronger and the world more stable if we mine and process the minerals we have right here in our country.

Unfortunately, any efforts to do so face significant obstacles. The Biden administration is one of the biggest.

. . .

“It is time for America to see the power of the U.S. mining industry, invest in it, and secure our supply chains. The technology we depend on every day is only possible because of mining. To ensure not just our economic success but our national security, Congress must revamp our mining laws and substantially reduce irrelevant regulations.”

The full piece is available here.

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