Your morning newscast covering the top mining-related stories of the day, brought to you by the National Mining Association. NMA is the only national trade organization that serves as the voice of the U.S. mining industry and the hundreds of thousands of American workers it employs before Congress, the federal agencies, the judiciary and the media, advocating for public policies that will help America fully and responsibly utilize its vast natural resources. We work to ensure America has secure and reliable supply chains, abundant and affordable energy, and the American-sourced materials necessary for U.S. manufacturing and economic security, all delivered under world-leading environmental, safety and labor standards.
Hope and optimism return as Senate Democrats yesterday said they will return to the negotiating table on permitting reform. Permitting reform has been one of the few areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington but Senate Democrats walked away from progress in talks last December due to the White House's stance on wind and solar projects. Now that Interior has been actively processing applications for solar and onshore wind projects, negotiating is back on. And that's a good thing for everyone.
We know how the conflict with Iran is impacting energy prices and supplies, but it's also having impacts on other material supplies. One key impact is the global supply of aluminum. With shipping traffic through the strait of Hormuz at a standstill, supplies aren't moving, smelters are issuing notices to customers, and disruptions are being felt across the supply chain.
And in the coming days the International Seabed Authority, which is the UN body that manages mineral-related activities in the ocean, will gather in Jamaica to discuss a proposed mining code for commercial seabed mining. As they meet, there's a lot at stake as some are looking to move ahead with projects while others are calling for a global moratorium so that science and regulations can catch up.
5 Mar 2026
NMA Mining Minute 3-5-2026
It's beginning to look a lot like midterms. That's the sense when you look at all of the proposals to address what seems to be the election's key issue: energy affordability.
Starting in the White House, President Trump hosted business leaders yesterday to roll out his "ratepayer protection pledge," which was signed by Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and more and it has tech companies pledging to build, provide or buy any power their data center infrastructure needs. It's designed to ensure residents don't pay for the electricity used to power data centers. The President said in making the announcement that Americans' energy prices could drop "very substantially" as a result.
Over on the Democrat side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said yesterday that Democrats are set to release a plan to lower energy costs as part of its so-called "cost agenda" for 2026, described as a broader effort to confront affordability issues. No details are available yet on their energy price plan, but it's certainly one we'll be watching.
Finally, on a trip to Venezuela yesterday, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum called on investors to look to the country's rich minerals resources, much of which is located in the country's remote southern regions. Burgum said, "Venezuela is a rich, rich country filled with both oil and gas resources but also rich in critical minerals. The opportunities now are greater than ever." Not discussed were security concerns in a region home to powerful armed gangs and guerrilla groups.
4 Mar 2026
NMA Mining Minute 3-4-2026
The energy markets are continuing to react to the situation in Iran. European thermal coal prices are at their highest level since October 2023. South African thermal-coal export prices have climbed to their highest level since August 2024. And Australian coal futures are also climbing. The price jumps are in response to concerns around natural gas supplies, where European natural-gas prices are up 70% just since last weekend. It's a bit of a repeat of what we saw just a few years ago around the war in Russia and Ukraine war.
Italy's energy minister said on Wednesday that it may restart some coal power stations if the conflict in the Middle East continues.
Back here in Washington, the House on Tuesday approved the legislation we mentioned earlier this week to align the USGS and Department of Energy's critical minerals lists—That's the Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2025. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year approved a companion bill.
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