Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy has issued a public plea to President Joe Biden to streamline the U.S. mine permitting process.
The goal is to boost the domestic production of critical minerals and reduce reliance on foreign sources. The governor’s plea comes amid escalating legal battles and economic ramifications, particularly concerning the Alaskan Pebble Mine project.
"Our message to the Biden administration is, ‘Do everything you can to do everything here in America. Get your permitting processes streamlined,’" Dunleavy told Reuters during the CERAWeek energy conference in Huston.
Dunleavy emphasized the imperative of aligning permitting procedures with national strategic interest, reflecting on a "somewhat nonsensical" push for greater adoption of electric vehicles while blocking cornerstone mining projects.
"If we don't get our permitting processes together, if we don't start to use data and science again instead of emotion, this chaos is going ...