Invoking the iconic Western bird — the greater sage grouse — the Department of the Interior has set into motion the largest land withdrawal in the history of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Unfortunately, this move will do very little to protect the bird, it comes with a high price tag for U.S. mining and the vast sectors of our economy that depend upon a reliable and secure supply chain of minerals and metals.
The Interior Department’s recent decision not to include the sage grouse on the Endangered Species list was premised, in part, by the decision to withdraw 10 million acres of public land from new mining operations. Yet, mining is not even considered a major threat to the bird or its habitat as evidenced by the department’s own supporting documents, which point to wildfires and invasive species as the greatest threats to the sage grouse. In fact, mining companies play an integral role in managing the lands on which they operate, often voluntarily restoring low-value habitats into prime sage grouse habitats.
Further limiting access to domestic minerals is simply poor public policy. In the past two decades, the United States’ dependence on mineral imports has doubled and today, less than half of the minerals American manufacturers need are sourced domestically. U.S. industries are currently 100 percent import dependent on 19 key minerals and more than 50 percent import reliant on another 24 mineral commodities that are potentially available in the U.S.
Even the law on which this withdrawal rests, FLPMA, specifically acknowledges the value of domestic mining to society and the need for miners to access federal lands. Federal lands account for as much as 86 percent of the land area in certain Western states, where 75 percent of our nation’s metals production is based. At a time when new mining operations are already either restricted or banned on more than half of all federally owned public lands, locking up an additional 10 million acres has far-reaching implications.
Our domestic mining industry serves as the front-end of the supply chain for the minerals and materials vital to the success of countless other industries. Today, mining provides for nearly two million jobs with above-average wages and benefits, generates $46 billion annually in federal, state and local taxes and provides key minerals to industries that make up 14 percent of our GDP. The materials produced by U.S. mining support our healthcare, transportation, communication, energy and national defense sectors, and many others. They are the integral building blocks of everyday items like cell phones, laptops and cars, as well as infrastructure and lifesaving medical devices.
Simply put, this land withdrawal does more harm than good. This federal lands withdrawal will not achieve its goal of protecting the sage grouse population. It will harm an economically critical industry and will leave our other domestic industries vulnerable to supply disruptions. The Interior Department should abandon these plans.
Hal Quinn is the president and CEO of the National Mining Association. Thinking of submitting an op-ed to the Washington Examiner? Be sure to read our guidelines on submissions.
