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Two Alaska mining projects may begin production ahead of schedule thanks to priority permits granted by the U.S. Forest Service. As reported by the website ResourcefulEarth.org, the agency approved exploratory drilling permits for Ucore Rare Metals Inc.’s Bokan Mountain site in Southeast Alaska, which is expected to develop rare earths as well as potentially high grade uranium, and another mining prospect on Woewodski Island. At a time when China’s stranglehold on rare earths has costs for downstream industries soaring, this is a welcome development we at American Resources hope to see replicated for other mining projects. Additional concerns, however, remain with the structural problem of a rigid permitting process as it continues to hurt the Alaska’s (and the country’s) economic and strategic resource future. We will examine the bureaucratic regime that has given the U.S. the dubious honor of being tied with Papua New Guinea for the longest approval process for mining permits among the top 25 mining countries in the world in a forthcoming policy paper. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter so you get to read it first.

As reported by Resourceful Earth, two Alaska mining projects may begin production ahead of schedule thanks to priority permits granted by the U.S. Forest Service.  The agency approved exploratory drilling permits for Ucore Rare Metals Inc.’s Bokan Mountain site in Southeast Alaska, which is expected to develop rare earths as well as potentially high grade uranium, and another mining prospect on Woewodski Island.

At a time when China’s stranglehold on rare earths has cost for downstream industries soaring, this is a welcome development one would hope to see replicated for other mining projects, as the underlying structural problem of a rigid permitting process continues to hurt the United States’ economic and strategic future.

We will examine the bureaucratic regime that has given the U.S. the dubious honor of being tied with Papua New Guinea for the longest approval process for mining permits among the top 25 mining countries in the world in a forthcoming policy paper.  Be sure to connect with us on Facebook and Twitter so you get to read it first.

Making national headlines this week, the Elk Creek, Neb. rare earths and niobium prospecting site (we’ve talked about it here and here) may finally be getting the attention it deserves.  The Northwest Mining Association also recently covered this topic on their blog at TheMoreYouDig.com.  With all of this newfound attention, however, comes the larger issue (…) more

I recently came across this interesting story from commodityonline.com that discusses Taiwan’s plans to introduce a million-robot army to manufacture key IT components. Robots, of course, have long been seen as a labor-saving innovation, increasing efficiency and quality assurance.  They don’t call in sick, have spats with co-workers, or take long lunches.  But they do, (…) more

According to news reports, India has discovered what its government claims could be the world’s largest uranium reserves in a mine due to start operating by the end of the year.  The nation’s Department of Atomic Energy recently confirmed that the Tumalapalli mine in the southern state of Andrha Pradesh holds 49,000 metric tons of uranium, (…) more

If you’ve had to replace a light bulb in your home lately, then you have may have noticed that the price for lighting has gone up significantly. The reason behind the price hike is two-fold: 1) recent legislation that passed, mandating the phasing out of the light bulb as we know it, and 2) the current (…) more

What does a copper strike in Chile have to do with the debt-deadlock in Washington, D.C.? More than might at first meet the eye, as this Bloomberg piece makes clear, tying the upswing in copper’s price to a strike at Chile’s Escondida Mine added to the dollar’s drop as the debt crisis drags on. How (…) more

On the heels of the discovery of a significant rare earths find in Madagascar announced by Mumbai-based Varun Industries earlier this month, the Indian government has been quick to lock up a purchase agreement with the Madagascar unit of the company, Varun Energy Corp.  According to the memorandum of understanding, Varun Energy Corp. will sell (…) more

Chinadaily.com.cn reports that China has discovered its largest molybdenum deposit to-date in the East-Chinese province of Anhui.   At 2.2 million tons, the discovered deposits have a mining life of more than one hundred years and constitute the second largest known quantity of minable molybdenum with the world’s largest mine being the Climax Mine in Colorado. (…) more

A critical component for steel manufacturers to produce high strength, low alloy steels, niobium is making an entrance in the United States, as Canada-based Quantum Rare Earths is looking to develop the resource at its Elk Creek Carbonatite Project in Nebraska, which is also rich in rare earths. With niobium not having been commercially mined (…) more