President Donald Trump with several strokes of his Sharpie on Monday elevated to the top levels of the government a focus on accelerating mining and processing of minerals — from rare earths to coal and uranium — drawing applause from Republicans and the mining sector.
In an order declaring a national energy emergency, Trump called on federal agencies to use what authorities they have to unleash the mining and processing of critical minerals, uranium and coal in the U.S., along with other resources.
In another executive order, Trump called on the heads of all agencies — from the Council on Environmental Quality to EPA and the Interior Department — to sniff out and scrap all agency actions that impose “undue burden” on domestic mining and processing of non-fuel minerals.
And an executive order focused on Alaska advances the controversial Ambler Road that was halted under President Joe Biden, a 211-mile gravel private road that would cut through pristine lands to provide access to a remote mining district in the state’s northwestern reaches. The order calls for a new review of decisions around Ambler and the potential reinstatement of a decision in 2020 during Trump’s first stint in office to approve the project.
