Never in history have the earth’s mineral resources been so essential to human existence as today. America’s future economic growth, as well as our energy and national security, is inextricably linked to being able to access and produce our mineral supplies. The sad irony exposed in this study is that even though America is
richly endowed with untold mineral wealth, access to those minerals—especially on federal lands—has been extremely problematic for decades.

Three causes preventing access and production of our federal (and state) mineral wealth are: massive unrealistic permitting labyrinths, frivolous but malicious environmental lawsuits, and withdrawal of mineral-rich federal lands to prevent development. These are the primary reasons why America’s domestic mineral production is at a tipping point, resulting in an unprecedented and dangerous over-reliance on China, Russia, and other dictatorships for the very minerals and energy that keep us free!

The United States is blessed with some of the richest supplies of mineral wealth anywhere in the world. The total value of America’s domestic mineral reserves has been estimated by the National Mining Association at $6.2 trillion dollars and rising. In addition, mining these minerals would raise up to $1 trillion in revenues to the Federal Government. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), “mineral reserves” are that portion of an identified resource from which a usable mineral (or energy) commodity can at the present be economically and legally extracted. In other words, mineral reserves are minable now.