Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) released the following statements in response to the Biden administration’s new report regarding mining on federal lands.
“Nevada’s critical minerals are the key to clean energy jobs and lower costs for tens of millions of Americans across the country, and we should be working together to build our domestic supply chain because it’s good for our economy and our environment,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Unfortunately, these recommendations to impose new taxes and change the mining claims process would make it harder to create new mining projects in the United States at a time when too many companies are sourcing these minerals from Communist China. We need lithium and other critical minerals to drive our clean energy industry, and I will continue to make sure any changes to mining policy work for the tens of thousands of Nevadans powering this industry.”
“While this report offers needed recommendations to reform federal mining regulations, some of the proposals will hurt the mining industry and fail to bolster our nation’s domestic mineral supply chain,” said Senator Rosen. “We must focus on strengthening our domestic energy supply chains and moving away from our reliance on foreign adversaries for critical minerals. I’ll keep fighting for regulations that support Nevada’s mining industry and the good-paying jobs it creates in an environmentally-sustainable way.”
Senator Cortez Masto has led efforts in Congress to support Nevada’s mining industry, protecting tens of thousands of local jobs and paving the way for Nevada to power the clean energy economy. She has consistently blocked burdensome taxes on mining and wrote important provisions of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bolster Nevada’s critical mineral supply chain and fund battery recycling programs in the state. Senators Cortez Masto and Rosen introduced bipartisan legislation to protect critical mineral production in response to the misguided Rosemont decision, which is threatening mining projects in Nevada and across the West.
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