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<\/p>\n\n\nThe U.S. Senate has unanimously approved S. 912, also known as the Mining Schools Act of 2023, in a move that will boost the nation\u2019s mining schools\u2019 ability to recruit and train the industry\u2019s next generation of mining experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The act will establish a grant program for mining schools at four-year public institutions of higher education; authorize $10 million for the grant program for each fiscal year from 2024 through 2031; and support student recruitment as well as studies, research projects, and demonstration projects related to the production of minerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will also establish the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board to evaluate applications, recommend recipients to the Secretary of Energy, and conduct oversight to ensure that grant funds are appropriately used.<\/p>\n\n\n
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The bill was brought forth by Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who serves as a ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR). In a statement just after the July 11 passing, he applauded the bipartisan passing, which allows the legislation to now go to the House of Representatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cThe United States cannot afford to be dependent on China, Russia, and other adversaries for minerals,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need access to minerals on federal lands. We also need to reinvigorate America\u2019s mining workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Barrasso first introduced the bill on March 22, 2023, alongside ENR Chairman Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.). S. 912 was also cosponsored by Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Krysten Sinema (I-Ariz.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), pointed to data from the Center for Strategic and International Studies that revealed some alarming projections.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMore than half the current domestic mining workforce will need to\u2026retire[ ] and [be] replaced by 2029 (roughly 221,000 workers),\u201d he said, citing the report. \u201cThis number stands in stark contrast to the total of just 327 degrees awarded in 2020 in mining and mineral engineering and a 39% net drop in graduations in the United States since 2016.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Mining Association (NMA) was one of the first advocacy groups to speak out in support of the passage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c[We applaud and urge] the U.S. House of Representatives to support the Mining Schools Act of 2023. American mining \u2013 and the American miners at its heart \u2013 is the foundation of our nation’s economy,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“By supporting the next generation of miners, the Mining Schools Act is a direct investment in secure U.S. supply chains, American ingenuity, and high-paying, community-supporting jobs for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another significant backer, the Essential Minerals Association (EMA), called the bill a step in the right direction for the future of minerals and mining. The EMA had spearheaded a coalition of 50 industry and academic organizations in supporting the bill in the Senate, and the association said it looks forward to working with the House to approve identical legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery member I talk to highlights the challenges they are facing in finding skilled workers. If we don\u2019t address the talent gap now, our nation will be challenged with meeting our mineral demand for millions of products Americans use every day, causing us to be reliant on foreign \u2013 and often hostile \u2013 sources to meet this need,\u201d said EMA President Chris Greissing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also pointed to a Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projection that the world will need to open more than 380 new mines for graphite, lithium, nickel and cobalt alone, to meet demand by 2035.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWithout skilled talent, the industry\u2019s ability to produce the necessary quantity of these minerals efficiently, safely, and sustainably is in jeopardy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In fact, he added, about three-fourths of industry executives have said the talent shortage is holding them back from discovering and delivering on production targets and strategic objectives (a statistic he attributed to McKinsey & Company).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is largely due to an aging workforce entering retirement and a dearth of high school graduates entering the relevant post-secondary degree programs,\u201d Greissing added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EMA said that, even with more students chasing these degrees, the U.S. currently has a lack of capacity for training them. What was 25 mineral and mining development programs at American universities 40 years ago is now 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, the group said Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME) figures have estimated a 43% decrease in the number of graduates \u2013 just since 2015. The number of geological engineering programs has dwindled to only 13, and metallurgical engineering stands at just 8.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Mining Schools Act helps to bridge this gap by revitalizing university-level mining programs by establishing a grant program for mining schools\u2026to recruit students and carry out studies, research projects, and demonstration projects related to the production of minerals,\u201d the EMA said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The U.S. Senate has unanimously approved S. 912, also known as the Mining Schools Act of 2023, in a move that will boost the nation\u2019s mining schools\u2019 ability to recruit and train the industry\u2019s next generation of mining experts. The act will establish a grant program for mining schools at four-year public institutions of higher education; authorize $10 million for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[196,495],"tags":[3013,3012,935,3011,79],"coauthors":[1644],"class_list":["post-7700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-final-word","category-latest-news","tag-energy-and-natural-resources","tag-mining-professional-development-advisory-board","tag-mining-schools","tag-mining-schools-act","tag-national-mining-association"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t