Mining of 20 ‘critical’ minerals in Nevada could be streamlined

WASHINGTON — The Interior Department has published a list of 35 “critical” minerals — 20 of which are present in Nevada — as part of a Trump administration effort to reduce foreign dependence on resources needed for consumer and military goods.

The list of the 35 critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey was released by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on Friday and will serve as a basis for a final Commerce Department report on the commodities.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December directing the U.S. Geological Survey to identify minerals critical to national defense and the economy.

Zinke said at the time that the effort would first identify the “critical minerals” needed for military equipment and consumer goods like cellphones and computers. It would then focus on gathering more geological data, largely through aerial mapping, and streamline the application process to expedite domestic mining and production.

The U.S. is currently reliant on foreign countries “for many of the minerals that are deemed critical for our national and economic security,” he said.

However, environmental groups, have expressed concerns that the administration is using mineral security to ease regulatory requirements on mining operations, endangering public health, wildlife and water.

“We have grave concerns about what appears to be a gutting of our environmental review laws,” Patrick Donnelly, Nevada state director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said Monday.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, backed the campaign to identify the minerals and secure “a reliable, long-term domestic supply.”

Three of the minerals on the list — barite, lithium and magnesium — are currently mined in Nevada, while seven others were formerly mined in the state. Ten others are known to be present but have never been commercially extracted.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., who attended the Zinke announcement in December, said mining is an $11 billion industry in Nevada, creating 30,000 jobs with an average salary of $90,000. It also prompted electric-carmaker Tesla to build its Gigafactory in Northern Nevada, not just because of a $1.2 billion tax incentive package but because nearby lithium mines produce raw materials for the company’s lithium-ion batteries, he said.

Heller is urging the Trump administration to streamline the application process to open mines to be more competitive with countries like Canada and Australia.

Other lawmakers, including Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., say Congress should have a say on changes made to mineral policies to ensure they are environmentally sound.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.