'Cutting Corners': AOC Laments 'Streamlining Of Mining Permitting' Under New Interior Dept. Regs

3 months ago

During a House Natural Resources Committee hearing earlier this month, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) questioned Department of Interior officials about new pushes for domestic mining and critical minerals.

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Transcript

00:00 I am going to yield to the ranking member for five minutes.

00:04 Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

00:06 Critical minerals have been garnering a lot of attention recently, and for good reason.

00:10 They're in everything from our cell phones to wind turbines and solar panels.

00:15 The demand for certain minerals is projected to skyrocket to fuel the clean energy transition.

00:20 And while we will need new minerals, this often leaves important aspects of the critical mineral supply chain out of the picture as well.

00:28 Topics like recycling, research, and strategies to reduce demand.

00:33 But unfortunately, sky-high demand projections are being used to push for a new domestic mining rush

00:39 and streamlining of mining permitting on public lands,

00:42 which too often means cutting corners on environmental review, community input, and tribal consultation.

00:48 The USGS's critical minerals list is used to inform billions of dollars of federal investments in new mines for critical minerals.

00:56 But given the decades-long lifespans of mines and the environmental impacts they can have,

01:01 new mines should be the last resort, not the first, for getting the new minerals that we need.

01:07 Dr. Applegate, how does USGS incorporate unconventional sources like mine waste and recycling

01:14 into resource assessments and critical mineral determinations?

01:19 Thank you for that question.

01:21 We really look at the entire life cycle of minerals, both looking at extraction, but also then understanding the downstream processes.

01:37 And I'm very pleased, I think, with direction from the Energy Policy Act of 2020,

01:44 we've been able to increase, for example, our mineral commodities summaries,

01:49 looking at and incorporating recycling into that sort of complete picture.

01:55 The bipartisan infrastructure law expanded our earth mapping resources initiative,

02:00 which was initially focused at sort of in-ground resources, to expand that to include mine waste.

02:07 And we've actually had very good partnerships with OSMRE as we work to understand what the potential is

02:15 for being able to add that as a potential economic driver to help support reclamation in those areas.

02:23 So I think we are trying to, in our analyses, get as complete a picture as we can of the life cycle for minerals.

02:32 Thank you.

02:33 And switching to OSMRE, the ongoing efforts and billions put into cleaning up abandoned coal mines

02:40 should also be a stark reminder of the potential environmental, public health,

02:43 and fiscal impacts of certain mining activities in our community.

02:48 And we should be making sure that we're doing everything we can to hold the coal industry accountable

02:53 for operating responsibly and cleaning up after themselves instead of leaving it to the public.

02:59 I am concerned that financial assurances and state agencies will not be enough to reclaim mined lands

03:07 that should be the operators-- that should be within the operators' responsibility.

03:13 It's been brought to my attention that we are already seeing this happen in real time with so-called zombie mines,

03:20 or mines that are labeled active but essentially abandoned by their operators.

03:25 Principal Deputy Puccino, can you speak to the work that OSMRE is doing to address this issue?

03:31 Yes, thank you, Congresswoman.

03:33 We are looking into those questions, questions that have been raised both by non-profit citizen organizations and Congress.

03:42 We also welcome the involvement of the General Accountability Office in this issue

03:50 and are actively supporting their investigation.

03:53 In fact, we just had a meeting last week with GAO.

03:58 It's important to flag that your question raises a critical issue,

04:02 and that's that regulatory oversight is actually going to be increasingly important as coal production declines.

04:11 This requires more, not less, support for states,

04:16 and that's why the administration asks that you fully fund-- that Congress fully funds its request of $65 million

04:26 to support both OSMRE and the states' efforts.

04:30 Thank you.

04:31 And to conclude, let's be clear about one thing here.

04:35 The work that these two agencies do, OSMRE and USGS,

04:39 is pivotal in ensuring the safety and wellness of everyday Americans and the folks that we represent.

04:45 And so I think it's very, very important that we take these cuts seriously.

04:49 People's health is on the line. Their wellness is on the line.

04:52 And we have to make sure that these mines are stewarded responsibly so people don't get sick.

04:57 Thank you very much.

'Cutting Corners': AOC Laments 'Streamlining Of Mining Permitting' Under New Interior Dept. Regs

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