Hickenlooper at a press conference at the Capitol in January. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Sen. John Hickenlooper sees the must-pass defense authorization bill as "the best opportunity" this year to pass several bills to boost U.S. minerals extraction and processing.
Why it matters: The Colorado senator sees minerals as a national security imperative — weaning off imports from adversaries like China and Russia — as well as necessary to combat climate change.
- Hickenlooper called for a "Project Mercury" for critical minerals, alluding to the space race that mobilized national resources.
- "I can't overemphasize my sense of urgency," Hickenlooper told Axios in an interview Tuesday. "In most cases, that slow, careful, plodding approach to legislation is useful. But this — I think we've debated it, we understand it."
Driving the news: Hickenlooper introduced two bills last week with North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis.
- The first would establish a National Critical Minerals Council to launch a national strategy and coordinate federal investments and research.
- The second would create a DOE Mining and Mineral Innovation Program to drive the responsible U.S. minerals production, focusing on minimizing the environmental impact of mining.
- "You need somebody at the top who's directing traffic and making sure that we're not being redundant," Hickenlooper said.
Flashback: Hickenlooper, who teased his minerals strategy with Axios last year, also cosponsored a Warner-Rubio bill in July to revamp U.S. minerals diplomacy and close project financing gaps.
Yes, but: Fears about the environmental impacts of new mining have made the issue a politically thorny one for Democrats. The Biden administration has imposed environmental protections and rejected permits needed for mining in some areas.
- Hickenlooper said he's sat down with leaders of some of the largest environmental nonprofits, and "pretty much everybody recognizes we're between a rock and a hard place," he said.
- "There's a natural alignment of self-interest," he added. "We have no choice but to go and say 'We're inventing the criteria of what is a successful mine. It's not just one that makes money, it's one that makes money, and in whatever way, does everything possible to mitigate its impact on neighbors.'"
What we're watching: The slew of bipartisan legislation to back the minerals supply chain could garner real steam in the lame duck session.
- Senate leaders will review a manager's package of amendments to the defense bill, or NDAA, in the coming days.
