Antimony is a critical component of national defense preparedness, and we have a supply ready to be mined in the U.S.. Antimony is necessary to produce everything from armor-piercing bullets and explosives to nuclear weapons and night vision goggles. That’s why H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Bill, has called for a briefing on the stockpile status of antimony, including a five-year outlook to consider current and future supply chain vulnerabilities.
Perpetua Resources’ Stibnite Gold Project has one of the largest economic reserves of antimony not controlled by the Chinese and could supply approximately 35 percent of U.S. demand in its first six years of production. Beyond redeveloping the Stibnite mine, Perpetua Resources aims to act as a steward for Idaho’s vast resources by restoring the abandoned mining site that was left behind when legacy mining stopped over 25 years ago. Perpetua Resources submitted its Plan of Restoration and Operations in 2016 and is still in the process of obtaining permits.
Antimony is a key input to our defense supply chains and we must make efforts to secure this resource here in the U.S., as opposed to relying on foreign actors.