WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR), issued the following statement blasting the Biden Administration’s reckless mining reform proposal.

This report was issued by the Department of the Interior-led Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting (IWG) and attempts to significantly alter the way mining is conducted on U.S. public lands. This would particularly impact Wyoming where nearly half of its lands are classified as public lands.

“President Biden is taking a sledgehammer to affordable, reliable energy. Today’s proposed mining reforms will force us to buy more critical minerals from mines using forced and child labor instead of harnessing our abundant resources here at home,” said Senator Barrasso. “Permitting mines in the U.S. can take over a decade. These proposals will slow the process even further. If the Biden Administration’s reforms are enacted, Americans will be even more dependent on imports from our adversaries – including China.”

This mining reform proposal is the latest action in the administration’s war on American energy. To date, the Biden Administration has:

• Canceled domestic mining projects and proposed federal withdrawals from mining entry including announcing:
• A proposal to withdraw 10 million acres from mining entry in Wyoming to conserve sage grouse.
• The cancellation of Twin Metals leases in Minnesota, which would have provided enough nickel and copper for over a quarter of a million electric vehicle batteries.
• The suspension of the Ambler Road permit, which would have provided access to copper mines in the rural Ambler Mining District in northwest Alaska.
• A designation of uranium-rich land in Arizona as a national monument.
• Removed important minerals from the USGS Critical Minerals List.
• Promoted minerals-specific trade agreements to avoid developing domestic resources.