by Carly Moran
A group of Republicans announced on June 8 that they’ve introduced the Copper is Critical Act to Congress as a protection against potential future environmental restrictions upon the industry.
The bill comes shortly after U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s recent restrictions on drilling and mining on public land in northwest New Mexico. Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., views this as a threat to his home state, where copper mining is a leading industry, largely conducted on public and indigenous land.
“As one of our state’s ‘Five Cs,’ Arizona knows the importance of copper to our economy, national security, and all other areas of innovation,” Ciscomani said. “Designating copper as a critical mineral will open up more doors to creating a dependable domestic stockpile of the material.”
Copper leads the state’s economy alongside the other 4 C’s: cotton, cattle, citrus and climate. According to the Arizona Mining Association, 66 percent of American copper comes from Arizona, producing $6.5 billion in revenue in 2018.
“Mineral criticality is not static, but changes over time,” said Steven Fortier, the U.S. Geological Survey National Minerals Information Center director, in a post. “However, we’re always analyzing mineral markets and developing new methods to determine the various and evolving critical mineral supply chain risks.”
The bill would place copper on the USGS’s critical minerals list, giving the industry legal protections as a material essential to American supply chains.
“The importance of copper to our economy and national security cannot be overstated,” Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., said. “It is long overdue that copper be designated as a critical mineral and I’m proud to support this legislation to make that a reality.”
Reps. Ciscomani and Newhouse are cosponsors of the bill, alongside Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-AZ; Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.; Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz.; and Rep. Jim Baird, R-Ind.
“We at the Copper Development Association have recognized that copper, its products, and its domestic supply chain are ‘critical’ for many years, and we’re encouraged to see this group of representatives agree with us,” the CDA said in a news release. “Not only is copper ‘critical’ to our economic and national security, but with rising demand forecasts for copper consumption over the next decade, the U.S. must add copper to the USGS Critical Minerals list without delay before the supply risk increases further.”
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Carly Moran is a contributor to The Center Square.Â
Photo “Excavator” by Tom Fisk.
