Today the agency awarded $162 million to nine projects that would seek to recover critical minerals such as scandium, copper, antimony, and rare earth materials from existing infrastructure and industrial activity. 

Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson told Maydeen ahead of the announcement that, “[t]he focus of this particular funding opportunity was to use government dollars to enable the private sector to extract those critical minerals in new and innovative ways.” 

The selected companies include Anactisis, Still Bright, Nusano, SiTration, Thompson Creek Metals Company, Felix Gold, DISA Technologies, Alcoa Corporation, and Trigg Minerals.

The projects are pursuing unconventional streams as sources of critical minerals. For instance, some of the companies are looking at how to extract minerals from old tailings, abandoned copper mines, existing aluminum facilities, and other sources. 

“We are taking something that was previously discarded and had to be managed, and turning it into a process where we can extract valuable resources,” Robertson said. 

The Trump administration continues to take a number of actions to reduce the U.S. reliance on Chinese critical minerals through direct stakes, international partnerships, and other funding opportunities. 

Read more by Maydeen here. 

TRUMP MOVES TO END PROTECTIONS FOR 45 MILLION ACRES OF FOREST

The Trump administration is moving to roll back decades-old protections covering nearly 45 million acres of national forests, which could lead to more development on undistributed wildlife areas.

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced this afternoon that the U.S. Forest Service has officially proposed rescinding the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, calling it a “one-size-fits-all restriction.” The administration argued that the rule has restricted wildfire prevention from occurring in the national forests. 

“For too long, outdated restrictions have kept tens of millions of forested acres off-limits to the very treatments that improve forest health and reduce wildfire risk to our communities,” Rollins said in a press release. 

Some background: The 2001 roadless rule was enacted during the Clinton administration, prohibiting road building and logging on roughly 44.7 million acres of national forest land. The majority of the roadless areas are in 10 western states which have experienced growing increased wildfire threats due to extreme droughts and heatwaves. 

The Trump administration first announced plans to rescind the rule in April of last year. 

Conflicting evidence: Some research suggests that logging can create natural firebreaks to slow fires and roads can provide firefighters with more access when fighting fires. But other academics say removing trees and building roads can create hotter and drier conditions, increasing the risk for wildfires. 

Environmentalist and conservation groups such as EarthJustice and the Sierra Club have spoken out against the move, saying they plan to defend the roadless rule. 

“Now, the Trump administration wants to gut the rule and open up 45 million acres of roadless forest to clear-cutting and other harmful development enabled by roading,” EarthJustice President Abigail Dillen said in a press release.  

“Scientists, wildland firefighters, and hundreds of thousands of Americans have fiercely opposed this attack on our public lands. Earthjustice has successfully defended the Roadless Rule for a quarter century, and we are not going to stop now,” Dillen added. 

Read more by Maydeen here. 

All the rest

TRUMP SAYS STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS OPEN, MARKETS DISAGREE: First thing this morning, President Donald Trump asserted once again that the Strait of Hormuz is open, despite not having struck another ceasefire deal with Iran. 

In fact, Trump said there are “no talks or conversations going on,” nor are there any discussions scheduled. The American naval blockade in the crucial waterway is still in effect, he said in a social media post.  

And yet, “The Hormuz Strait is open and operating. All water mines have been removed or detonated,” Trump said. 

His comments came just hours after Trump shared an image to his Truth Social platform, declaring the strait a “New U.S. Territory.” It was not immediately clear if this is an update to U.S. foreign policy, as Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that allowing a single nation-state to control an international waterway creates a “very dangerous precedent.” 

The markets aren’t fully convinced that the U.S. has full control of the region, as oil prices rose again today. 

Right around 3 p.m. EDT, Brent crude was up 0.18% and priced at $91.03 a barrel. West Texas Intermediate also jumped 0.51% and was selling at $84.93 a barrel. 

Some analysis: “There’s no talks happening and that’s all that the market heard,” NinjaTrader Group senior economist Tracy Shuchart told the Wall Street Journal. 

NOAA ACCUSED OF PUTTING PROFITS OVER MARINE PROTECTIONS: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is being accused of pushing policies that allow for more economically advantageous fishing practices, pulling back marine protections in the process. 

The details: Last month, the agency reportedly sent nine letters to regional fisheries councils ordering them to reduce regulatory burdens for the fishing industry, according to a new report from Inside Climate News. 

In the letters, the councils were reportedly asked to reassess fisheries management plans and “consider removing species that no longer require conservation and management,” recommending removing protections for endangered species

The councils were also ordered to revise sardine stock definitions in order to “increase production,” transfer the management of spiny lobsters and queen conches to the state level to “maximize yield,” and change rules to allow fisherman to keep bluefin tune that measure less than 73 inches, according to the report. 

The letters align with the administration’s deregulatory agenda, as well as the president’s efforts to prop up the domestic fishing and seafood industries. Earlier this summer, Trump signed a proclamation reopening nearly 500,000 square miles of protected waters in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing. 

In the recently sent letters, NOAA is reportedly pressuring local fisheries councils to reduce marine protected areas even further. This includes opening seasonal no-take zones off the coast of Puerto Rico or opening “traditional fishing grounds” along the coast of New England. 

MINNESOTA GOV. WALZ BLOCKS BOUNDARY WATERS MINING: Democrat Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has signed an executive order to stop issuing leases and permits for mining in the Boundary Waters. 

The Boundary Waters are located within the Superior National Forest, which contains reserves of copper, nickel, and cobalt. Walz’s order also directed the state’s Department of Natural Resources to review all existing nonferrous mineral leases in the area. 

As a reminder: Trump in April signed a Congressional Review Act that terminated the Biden administration’s 20 year mining ban in the Boundary Waters. The resolution was led by Republican Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota, who has argued that the ban has blocked critical minerals opportunities in the area. 

Stauber hit back against Walz today, saying the new ban on mining in the region will harm jobs and place thousands out of work in Northern Minnesota. 

Key quote: “Next time a Democrat politician claims to support permitting reform, remember what they really mean: eliminating the process altogether, just as Governor Walz has now done,” Stauber said. “Years of rigorous review, environmental study, and massive private investment have been erased in seconds by a deeply unpopular Governor, who has once again shown that he places far-left ideology above Minnesotans’ jobs and economic future.” 

CANADA’S FOSSIL FUEL BID: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is looking to make our northern neighbor an “energy superpower.” While his plan to reach this status includes prioritizing building out clean energy alternatives, fossil fuels are becoming critical for the country.  

In fact, Canada has at least six different crude oil pipeline projects that are under construction or have been proposed. A recent calculation from Reuters found that, if all projects are completed, they could increase Canada’s export pipeline capacity by 2.25 million barrels per day over the next 10 years. 

At least two pipeline projects are expected to come online next year. This includes the Enbridge Mainline Phase One Optimization, which will support a volume of 150,000 barrels per day. The Trans Mountain drag reducing agent project, with a volume of 90,000 barrels per day, also has a target in-service date for 2027. 

Four other projects are awaiting approval, two of which are aiming to be in service by 2028. 

ICYMI – LIGHTNING STRIKE SPARKS FIRE AT OKLAHOMA FUEL DEPOT: Earlier this week, lightning struck a massive fuel depot in Oklahoma, setting three tanks filled with natural gasoline on fire. 

The lightning first struck one tank at the Explorer Pipeline tank farm in Glenpool, Oklahoma just after 8 a.m. local time yesterday. The fire quickly spread to two other tanks. 

Photos of the incident showed large plumse of smoke stretching into the sky, visible from nearby flights landing at Tulsa International Airport. 

As of this morning, the fire was no longer actively burning, and specialized crews had begun cleanup and recovery efforts on site. 

Local outlet News on 6 reported that crews with the Glenpool Fire Department, U.S. Fire Pump, and Williams Fire and Hazard Control have established strict security in place, and are working to keep the area contained. 

Air-quality monitoring reportedly shows that there is no contamination in the surrounding area, according to the outlet. 

RUNDOWN

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