National Mining Association (NMA) President and CEO Hal Quinn has applauded the introduction of  Rep. Mark Amodei’s (R-Nev.) National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2015: “Congressman Amodei’s bill, introduced in the House [last week], will bring the permitting system for US mining into the 21st century so we are prepared to address current and future challenges for the country’s economic growth and manufacturing revival. While few countries can rival our abundance of mineral resources, even fewer have a permitting system as inefficient as the US. Our inefficient and duplicative permitting process discourages investment and jeopardizes the growth of downstream industries, related jobs and technological innovation that all depend on a secure and reliable mineral supply chain.

“Our country’s dependence on mineral imports has doubled over the past 20 years. Today, less than half of the mineral needs of US manufacturing are met from domestically mined minerals. These trends will only worsen if we do not advance policies that enable US mining to perform to its potential.

“Without compromising our rigorous environmental standards, this bi-partisan legislation carefully addresses the inefficiencies of our underperforming permitting system by incorporating best practices for improving coordination among state and federal agencies, clarifying responsibilities, avoiding duplication, setting timeframes and bringing badly needed  accountability to the process.

“America’s manufacturing CEOs have recognised that using our country’s minerals responsibly and efficiently is a national priority for strengthening our manufacturing base and the jobs it provides. Competing countries are acting boldly to secure use of these minerals. It is time our government acted accordingly and support responsible development of domestically sourced materials. NMA urges continued bi-partisan support for American minerals and this far-sighted legislation.”