NAM Talks Critical Minerals, Permitting and Investment

What must manufacturers be able to access to break Beijing’s stifling grip on critical minerals? That’s among the key questions answered by the NAM’s recently released critical minerals policy agenda, NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen said on a recent podcast.

What’s going on: The paper “Unearthing Mineral Solutions: A Comprehensive Critical Minerals Agenda for Manufacturers in America” “is really a first-of-its-kind report that brings together a holistic view of what manufacturers need to have access to kind of break the Chinese stranglehold on a lot of these critical minerals and rare earths,” Phalen said on an episode of “The Mining and Minerals Show” released this week.

• Essentially, the report is about “how the U.S. can leverage its relationships, its financing capabilities to strengthen those supply chains.”
• Among the most important steps in that supply-chain strengthening: “plurilateral or multilateral engagement with our allies and like-minded countries,” Phalen said.

A bipartisan priority: Shoring up domestic production of critical minerals — which are vital in everything from defense to energy to health care — is important to lawmakers across the political spectrum, Phalen told Tindale.

• “Everyone has a stake in reshoring and friendshoring these supply chains. If you’re a Democrat, you have batteries, you have solar panels, you have wind turbines, which all require significant mineral inputs. If you’re a Republican, you have … your traditional mining operations and cars and national defense applications. So there’s really something for everyone.”

Permitting reform: Speaking of bipartisan issues, Phalen said that permitting reform — on which the administration has made strides already — is likely to happen in 2026.

• “We really think it has a good shot at happening this year for some of those same reasons: [T]here’s just enough meat on the bone for both sides to get on board and have a little bit [to] deliver for their constituencies, all of which manufacturers serve.”

Hamstringing investment: Tindale mentioned the findings of another recent NAM report, “America on Hold: How Permitting Delays Stall Manufacturing Progress ,” in which nearly 66% of respondent manufacturers said they would invest more in the U.S. if permitting timelines were shorter.

• “It’s getting to the point where [both] big and small projects are being held up in a way that just doesn’t make sense for communities of any political persuasion,” Phalen said. “We think it’s common sense. [The report has] gotten great response from across the aisle, which I think will surprise people.”