NMA Mining Minute

National Mining Association
  • 0.0 (0)
  • BUSINESS NEWS
  • UPDATED DAILY

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.

  1. 13 HR AGO

    NMA Mining Minute 3-5-2026

    It's beginning to look a lot like midterms. That's the sense when you look at all of the proposals to address what seems to be the election's key issue: energy affordability. Starting in the White House, President Trump hosted business leaders yesterday to roll out his "ratepayer protection pledge," which was signed by Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and more and it has tech companies pledging to build, provide or buy any power their data center infrastructure needs. It's designed to ensure residents don't pay for the electricity used to power data centers. The President said in making the announcement that Americans' energy prices could drop "very substantially" as a result. Over on the Democrat side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday that Democrats are set to release a plan to lower energy costs as part of its so-called "cost agenda" for 2026, described as a broader effort to confront affordability issues. No details are available yet on their energy price plan, but it's certainly one we'll be watching. Finally, on a trip to Venezuela yesterday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called on investors to look to the country's rich minerals resources, much of which is located in the country's remote southern regions.  Burgum said, "Venezuela is a rich, rich country filled with both oil and gas resources but also rich in critical minerals. The opportunities now are greater than ever." Not discussed were security concerns in a region home to powerful armed gangs and guerrilla groups.

    2 min

  2. 1 DAY AGO

    NMA Mining Minute 3-4-2026

    The energy markets are continuing to react to the situation in Iran. European thermal coal prices are at their highest level since October 2023. South African thermal-coal export prices have climbed to their highest level since August 2024. And Australian coal futures are also climbing. The price jumps are in response to concerns around natural gas supplies, where European natural-gas prices are up 70% just since last weekend. It's a bit of a repeat of what we saw just a few years ago around the war in Russia and Ukraine war. Italy's energy minister said on ​Wednesday that it may restart some coal power stations if the conflict in ‌the Middle East continues. Back here in Washington, the House on Tuesday approved the legislation we mentioned earlier this week to align the USGS and Department of Energy's critical minerals lists—That's the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year approved a companion bill.

    1 min

  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    NMA Mining Minute 3-3-2026

    The conflict in Iran is obviously having an impact on the markets. On the energy side, the global market for oil and natural gas is seeing significant upheaval. Natural gas markets are being impacted because Qatar ships about 20% of global LNG supplies and had to shut down production after facilities were attacked. In addition to that, shipments of LNG are currently blocked from the waterway from the Persian Gulf that allows Middle Eastern exporters to get their products to Asia. One market that could pick up the slack when natural gas prices rise and supply is short is coal.     The administration has started to work through how a minerals trading bloc with U.S. allies will work, with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative taking public comment around how to design the multinational framework.  The comment period is open through March 19.     And we'll end with great news from NMA Member Florence Copper, which just harvested its first copper cathodes at its operation in Arizona, marking the first new copper production from a greenfield project in the US since 2008.

    2 min

  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    NMA Mining Minute 3-2-2026

    You've heard us discuss this legislation in the past and we're talking about it again: the House is planning a vote on the "Critical Mineral Consistency Act." This is one that simply makes sense, and would align the USGS critical minerals list with that of the Department of Energy. There's no good reason to have conflicting lists within the US government so we hope to see this one get across the finish line soon. In dealmaking news, Hudbay Minerals said today it will acquire Arizona Sonoran Copper Company, creating the third-largest copper district in North America. With the news, Hudbay will have full ownership of the Cactus copper project in Arizona and expand its US growth pipeline alongside its existing Copper World project. Finally last week Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Congressman Ryan Zinke visited Montana Tech University to tour its Lance College of Mines and Engineering's advanced mineral labs, hear more on the engineering technology the school has developed, and have a discussion with the community on the administration's commitment to Montana mining. The emphasis on mining schools is important as the mining industry continues to work to train and recruit the next generation of miners.

    2 min

  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    NMA Mining Minute 2-27-2026

    Members of Congress are reportedly asking questions about President Trump's recently announced "Project Vault," with many looking to learn details on the role of private companies in the public-private partnership, how the stockpile will be led and managed, and how the ExIm loan will get paid back. Ex-Im has reportedly been engaged with Congress, providing bipartisan briefings to lawmakers. Lithium prices surged yesterday after Zimbabwe suspended concentrate exports and fears of a global supply shortage surged. Recall that Zimbabwe halted exports of lithium concentrate on Wednesday, as part of its efforts to promote domestic processing and curtail illegal shipments. The ban is in effect until further notice. The country accounts for about 10% of the world's lithium. MP Materials is investing $1.25 billion in its rare-earth magnet manufacturing center, which will be located in in Northlake, Texas. This new facility will expand its existing manufacturing capacity, which is centered in Fort Worth. The facility will be up and running in 2028.

    2 min

  6. 25 FEB

    NMA Mining Minute 2-25-2026

    The National Mining Association yesterday released the results of polling that was conducted over the weekend, which found overwhelming American support for mining. The national polling, which was conducted by The Harris Poll found, in part, 83 percent of Americans believe increasing domestic minerals mining is important to U.S. economic and national security. It also found that 57% of Americans support keeping coal plants open longer to meet growing energy demands and keep costs lower. The Trump administration plans to use a Pentagon-created AI program to help set prices for minerals as part of its efforts to impose "reference prices for critical minerals at each stage of production" that could be backed by adjustable tariffs. DARPA's OPEN AI program works to determine what minerals should be priced when considering labor, processing and other costs when those factors are considered without Chinese market manipulation. Finally, looking at the world's mineral supply chains, Zimbabwe has suspended exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates. In an announcement on Wednesday, the Minister of Mines said the move includes all minerals "currently in transit". The export ban on lithium concentrates had originally been scheduled to come into effect in January 2027, and is significant because Zimbabwe holds Africa's largest lithium reserves, with most of the country's concentrate exported to China for processing.

    2 min

  7. 24 FEB

    NMA Mining Minute 2-24-2026

    The Energy Information Administration said yesterday that U.S. power plants originally scheduled to be retired in 2026 could stay online longer, following last year, when electricity use and prices hit record levels across the U.S. In 2025, only 4.6 gigawatts of electric-generating capacity retired, which is the lowest since 2008, and half of what was scheduled to be retired. Concerns about power shortages were the rationale for keeping those plants online and, given that concerns have not gone away since, one would expect that trend to continue. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management yesterday proposed new regulations governing deep-sea mining. The revisions expedite production of minerals tied to national security, economic competitiveness and technology. The 60-day public comment period kicks off today, concluding on April 27. And while most market watchers focused, with good reason, on gold, silver, and copper, there are other metals that are surging but gaining far less attention. Tungsten prices have climbed 500% over the past year, as the market faces a supply crunch with global inventories extremely low.

    2 min

  8. 20 FEB

    NMA Mining Minute 2-20-2026

    News reports indicate that the EPA will move today to repeal the prior administration's Mercury Air Toxics Standards – or MATS rule. The move is an important one because the rule was specifically designed to force the closure of coal plants, with revisions far too costly to justify the minimal emission reductions they would achieve, and standards set at levels that were not achievable in the real world. Reuters is reporting that the Democratic Republic of Congo is including specific critical mineral mines on a list of strategic assets that it is offering to the U.S. under a minerals cooperation framework the two countries are working to finalize. With some assets currently under rebel control, U.S. interests and investment are increasingly being drawn into the conflict-torn eastern Congo region. And finally, with strong demand and holdups in supply, prices of two key rare earths have rallied above the price floor provided by the U.S. government last year to MP Materials. The higher prices mean the U.S. government will not have to subsidize MP Materials operations and will also support production from other producers working to help cut the world's reliance on China.

    2 min
See All (162)

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    National Mining Association
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    162
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025
  • Show Website
    NMA Mining Minute