Some mining industry leaders are calling for the federal government to re-activate the U.S. Bureau of Mines, which President Bill Clinton shuttered.
"Right now the U.S. graduates fewer than 200 mining engineers per year," she said."Our current demand is for something like 600, and so there's already a gap."Rich Nolan, president of the National Mining Association, says the workforce shortage is only one part of a looming crisis. The Biden administration, though, has made significant investments in domestic mining, earmarking more than $6 billion to support the industry.
"You know there's a lot of safeguards now that mean that companies, must, as they should, they must have detailed planning, not only about developing a mine but also closing and restoring and reclaiming it," says Rowe.