WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA) president and CEO Hal Quinn commented today on the importance of permit reform to President Trump’s infrastructure initiative:
“President Trump’s welcome initiative to rebuild America’s declining infrastructure is poised to spur activity and employment throughout the economy, including in the nation’s mines. The nation’s rich endowment of copper, nickel, zinc and other metals, minerals and materials produced by U.S. mines are the building blocks for the roads, bridges, dams and other structures that stand in dire need of replacement and renewal.
“For this massive undertaking to be successful, however, the nation’s miners must have efficient access to the mineral resources that effectively represent the front end of the supply chain for infrastructure renewal. Today that efficient access is thwarted by conflicting and duplicative permit reviews conducted by multiple federal and state agencies that create wasteful and unnecessary delays to mining projects of up to 7 to 10 years before decisions are made. President Trump understands this problem, noting that the Hoover Dam took only 5 years to build, half the time that is often required today to approve projects that produce the minerals needed to build the dam.
“Streamlining this inefficient permit process will remove a major impediment to his ambitious plan for public works projects and, at the same time, advance a job-creating initiative that will benefit all Americans.”