Geoscience Policy Monthly Review
december 2017

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natural resources

House lawmakers discuss Grand Staircase-Escalante during Natural Resources subcommittee hearing

December 6, 2017

On December 6, in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order shrinking the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument released two days prior, Representative Chris Stewart (R-UT-2) introduced new legislation aiming to provide greater conservation, recreation, economic development, and local management of the federal lands in his district. Representative Stewart’s bill, the Grand Staircase Escalante Enhancement Act (H.R. 4558), would create Utah’s sixth national park, the Escalante Canyons National Park and Preserve. The bill would prohibit mineral extraction within the new park and preserve – an area that is rich in energy and mineral resources, and contains invaluable cultural artifacts that are vulnerable to disruption from potential mining operations.

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on December 14 to consider the Grand Staircase Escalante Enhancement Act. Among the expert witnesses invited to provide testimony, Michael Leavitt, former governor of Utah, said he believes that there was insufficient consultation or warning prior to the original designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument by former President Bill Clinton in 1996. Mr. Leavitt suggested this action demonstrated an abuse of power and “a deliberate effort to conceal and keep monument planning out of public view.”

Other witnesses at the hearing expressed their support for the bill, which some expect will stimulate economic growth for nearby communities. Utah Office of Tourism Director Vicki Varela stated that the proposed designation of a sixth national park in Utah would generate prosperity in what is now considered to be an economically distressed region of the state. Susan Hand, co-owner and manager of the local Willow Canyon Outdoor Company, agreed that protected public lands can act as economic engines for local communities, but she added that the excised monument units and proposed national park included in this bill would not replace the loss of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument as a whole. Leland Polluck of the Garfield County Board of Commissioners explained that the bill will provide a better balance between federal management and local input, and establish a platform to allow for both the enjoyment and use of the land at present, as well as preserving its natural resources for future generations.

While the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has drawn criticism since it was first established in 1996, it remains a frontier with countless opportunities for quiet recreation and solitude, according to the Bureau of Land Management. The monument area has spurred significant scientific discoveries, where fossil excavations have yielded more information about ecosystem change at the end of the dinosaur era than any other place in the world. Since its designation, 21 new species of dinosaurs have been discovered within the monument’s boundaries.

Sources: Library of Congress, U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources

 

House Natural Resources hearing revisits U.S. dependence on foreign minerals

December 12, 2017

The electronics and defense industries, among other key industries in the United States, rely upon the supply and availability of minerals – many of which are imported to the U.S. from other countries. Not only are these elements integral to the production of high-end electronics and advanced military technologies, but they also make up the foundation of many of our infrastructure projects. U.S. dependence on foreign sources for nonfuel mineral materials has more than doubled over the past 30 years. A recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report revealed that the U.S. imported more than one-half of the apparent consumption of 50 nonfuel mineral commodities in 2016, and was 100 percent import-reliant for 20 of those. In 2016, China and Canada were the largest suppliers of nonfuel mineral commodities to the U.S.

On December 12, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held an oversight hearing, “Examining Consequences of America’s Growing Dependence on Foreign Minerals,” to discuss reasons for the declining self-sufficiency of the United States for mineral commodities, and the consequences of relying on foreign sources for critical minerals. The hearing featured expert testimony from Ronnie Favors, Administrator at the Defense Logistics Agency and Strategic Minerals of the Department of Defense (DOD); Murray Hitzman, Associate Director for Energy and Minerals for the USGS; Richard Silberglitt, Senior Physical Scientist for the RAND Corporation; Kate Sweeny, Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs and General Counsel for the National Mining Association; and Carletta Tilousi, Council Member of the Havasupai Tribe.

At the hearing, witnesses addressed the concept of mineral “criticality” – determined by a number of factors for minerals that are essential in use, with limited or no viable substitute, and vulnerable to supply chain disruption – and the challenges associated with the U.S. mining regulatory system. Mr. Favors recognized that given recent mine closures, export restrictions, and volatility of the world market, there is a growing focus on decreasing import reliance and increasing domestic material production in the United States. However, according to Ms. Sweeny, mining in the U.S. is not appealing to private corporations because of the difficult and uncertain regulatory system. According to Dr. Hitzman, less than one-third of the United States has complete topographic, geologic, and geophysical 3D mapping coverage at the scale needed to inform mineral resource management.  Increased domestic mining, particularly for uranium in the Grand Canyon was heavily criticized by Ms. Tilousi, due to perceived negative health and environmental impacts.

Sources: U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources

President Trump and Secretary Zinke sign orders to advance domestic production of critical minerals

December 21, 2017

On Wednesday, December 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to reduce America's dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals. The order requires the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, Defense, and Energy to submit a report that includes a strategy to accomplish this goal, an assessment of progress toward developing recycling technologies and alternatives to critical minerals, a plan to improve the topographic, geologic, and geophysical mapping of the United States, and recommendations to streamline permitting, enhancing access, and increasing discovery, production, and domestic refining of critical minerals.

Shortly after President Trump's executive order, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke released a secretarial order on Thursday, December 21 directing the initial steps to producing a nationwide geological and topographical survey of the U.S. In particular, the Secretary directs the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to ensure that U.S. miners and producers have electronic access to the most advanced topographic, geologic, and geophysical data, with appropriate limitations to protect critical infrastructure data such as those related to national security areas. Secretary Ryan Zinke explains, "Drafting a complete topographical and geographic survey of the United States is exactly the kind of task the USGS was created to do." The order also directs Interior bureaus to begin identifying domestic sources for critical minerals, and, upon finalization of a critical minerals list, to provide recommendations for streamlining review processes and access for developing critical minerals.

The executive and secretarial orders follow the release of a USGS report on 23 mineral commodities that are critical for the U.S. economy and security. The new volume, entitled Critical Mineral Resources of the United States, updates a previous USGS report that was published in 1973. The new report finds that the U.S. relies on overseas supplies for at least 50 percent of all but two of critical minerals – beryllium and titanium – and that most of those are sourced from China.

Sources: Department of the Interior, U.S. Geologic Survey, The White House