there’s a lot on the table.” Nolan added, for that reason, mining is getting a lot more respect. “We have lots of new friends now! More and more Americans are aware of the importance of minerals. It’s a com-bination of factors.” He provided stark insight into the international race in which the U.S. is losing for control of not just critical but all minerals. “It started probably 15 years ago when China had been collecting and started cutting off mineral supply to Japan,” he said. “That was really a wakeup call. Since then, they’ve done it a half dozen times. That really caught eye of policymakers.” The U.S. is well behind China and Russia now, he added. “The Chinese have a 20-year head start on us in coordinating policy to lock up mineral supply, to stockpile, then dump it on the market (to crush competitors). That’s unacceptable. We are close to a Cold War over minerals with China.” Nolan cited the predatory business practices that China and Russia have used to first depress prices and force out U.S. competitors, and then take control of critical mineral production worldwide like lithium, and now palladium. “That’s driven bipartisan realization that we need to get our act together,” he said. The new attention to the critical need for minerals and threat from other nations, while good to see, has yet to translate into meaningful reform, he added. “That’s exciting to see, but if we can’t get our permits, what we need to put our mines in place, it’s meaningless. We’ve come a long way, we’ve got that recognition now, we just need the will to say 'yes!' Mike Satre asked specifically about permitting reform, referencing Hecla’s worldwide presence. “We have properties in permitting 35 years,” Satre said. “Permitting reform is super important. What can we expect in a lame-duck session?” Despite the administration claiming permitting was taking two or three years, Nolan reported that NMA contracted research that confirmed the U.S. is second-worst in the world for getting a mine approved. S&P Global polled more than 200 mines and determined it takes 29 years on average for U.S. mines to get permitted. “Policymakers in Washington are waking up to it now, but like all things in Washington, change is slow." Nolan cited work NMA is doing to support national legislation across several fronts. He said NMA and the industry has worked on a proactive front.“We have been saddled with the sins of the past," he said. In particular, Nolan said the good Samaritan remediation act in Congress to clean up old mine sites is a step in that direction and offered a “shout out” in particular to Alaska’s Congresswoman Mary Peltola as a big help in Congress on that front. National Mining Association does a great job of representing the industry and is tremendously beneficial for Alaska’s miners so far away, yet so embroiled in federal issues. The Alaska Miner Fall 2024 14 From exploration to production, we have decades of experience serving the mining industry in all stages of operations. Streamline your camp services with NMS, an Alaska Native-owned company. Let’s Talk Bradley Berberich Strategic Account Manager | 907.982.2533 Bradley.Berberich@nmsusa.com nmsusa.com RUNNING ALASKA’S REMOTE CAMPS SINCE 1974 NOLAN, CONTINUED from PAGE 13
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