Senate Passes the EMA-Supported Mining Schools Act

Arlington, Va., July 11, 2024 – The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) applauds passage of the Mining Schools Act in the Senate this week. The bill is an important step in bolstering U.S. mining schools so that they can recruit and train the next generation of mining experts. EMA spearheaded a coalition of 50 industry and academic organizations in supporting the bill in the Senate, and the Association looks forward to working with champions in the House of Representatives to approve identical legislation.

"Passage of the Mining Schools Act in the Senate is a step in the right direction for the future of the minerals and mining industry,” said Chris Greissing, EMA president. “Every member I talk to highlights the challenges they are facing in finding skilled workers. If we don’t address the talent gap now, our nation will be challenged with meeting our mineral demand for millions of products Americans use every day, causing us to be reliant on foreign – and often hostile – sources to meet this need.”

The Mining School Act will:

• establish a grant program for mining schools at four-year public institutions of higher education;
• authorize $10 million for the grant program for each fiscal year from 2024 through 2031;
• support student recruitment as well as studies, research projects, and demonstration projects related to the production of minerals;
• establish the Mining Professional Development Advisory Board to evaluate applications, recommend recipients to the Secretary of Energy, and conduct oversight to ensure that grant funds are appropriately used.

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence projects that the world will need to open more than 380 new mines for graphite, lithium, nickel and cobalt alone, in order to meet demand by the year 2035. However, without skilled talent, the industry’s ability to produce the necessary quantity of these minerals efficiently, safely, and sustainably is in jeopardy. In fact, nearly three quarters of industry executives said this talent shortage is holding them back from discovering and delivering on production targets and strategic objectives, according to a survey by global consultancy McKinsey & Company. This is largely due to an aging workforce entering retirement and a dearth of high school graduates entering the relevant post-secondary degree programs.

Even if more students were to pursue such degrees, the United States currently lacks the capacity to train them. Forty years ago, 25 American universities maintained accredited mining and mineral development programs. Today, only 14 exist. According to the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, the number of graduates has decreased by 43 percent since 2015 alone. The number of geological engineering programs has dwindled to only 13, and metallurgical engineering stands at just 8.

The Mining Schools Act helps to bridge this gap by revitalizing university-level mining programs by establishing a grant program for mining schools in order to recruit students and carry out studies, research projects, and demonstration projects related to the production of minerals.

The Essential Minerals Association continues to advocate for full support in House.

The Essential Minerals Association (EMA) is the representative voice for companies that extract and process a vital and beneficial group of raw materials and minerals, which are the essential ingredients for many of the products used in everyday life. EMA ensures that the voices of its member companies and the socio-economic benefits they provide – from mining to end-use products – are heard by government leaders as well as the general public. Visit essentialminerals.org to learn more.

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