Contributed by Josh Martin, GSA Science Policy Fellow

In early June, GSA representatives attended the 116th Annual Meeting of the Association of American State Geologists (AASG) in Park City, Utah, USA. Hosted by the Utah Geological Survey, the meeting brought together representatives from state geological surveys and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The meeting began with a plenary session that featured updates on a range of topics from the USGS, including:

  • An appropriations update from Dr. David Applegate, Director of the USGS; 
  • An update on the Minerals and Energy Mission Area from Dr. Sarah Ryker, Associate Director, Energy and Minerals Mission Area;
  • An update on the Core Science Systems Mission Area from Darcee Killpack, Associate Director, Core Science Systems Mission Area; and
  • An update on the Natural Hazards Mission Area from Dr. Jonathan Godt, Associate Director, Natural Hazards Mission Area.

Sessions covered new research and related policy implications on topics including critical minerals, coastal science, data preservation, water, geothermal energy, education, geologic mapping, natural hazards, and environmental risks. These discussions are timely as Congress considers legislation on geothermal energy, natural hazards, and critical minerals.

On 13 June, the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Manufacturing and Critical Minerals held a hearing on the national critical mineral supply chain. The hearing included testimony from Matt Vincent of the Montana Mining Association, Dr. Michelle Michot Foss of Rice University, Martin Stratte, a partner at Hunton Andrews Kurth, and David Klanecky, Chief Executive Officer and President of Cirba Solutions. Key points discussed in the hearing included the strategic importance of these materials for manufacturing and the need for regulatory reform to facilitate domestic mining and processing. Rep. Earl Carter (R-GA-1), who opened the hearing, emphasized the challenge posed by reliance on countries like China and proposed strengthening America’s critical materials supply chains as both an economic and a national security imperative. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY-20) echoed many of these sentiments, while highlighting other ways of sustaining critical minerals supplies including recycling products and reducing reliance on certain minerals. Mr. Tonko also stressed the importance of working toward regulations for safe processing of the ore that is mined, and in response, Mr. Klaneckey stated that the EPA can play a role in developing best practices for the industry, which would contribute to transparency.

Many members at the hearing brought up concerns regarding China’s current control over many critical minerals resources. Mr. Carter and others noted that the U.S. is 100% import-reliant on 12 critical minerals and 50% import-reliant on 17 others. Mr. Vincent suggested that one way to address this is to educate the public on mining and what a career in mining actually entails. The workforce and supply chain discussion underscored the importance of many ongoing USGS projects discussed at the AASG Annual Meeting, including the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (EarthMRI), which has allowed for the development of foundational data on the location of domestic critical minerals resources, as well as a number of other foundational data that can be used for other research, including geothermal energy development. The USGS is also continuing to develop the Energy and Minerals Research Building on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines. Made possible through funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this center will connect USGS researchers with faculty and students from the Colorado School of Mines to work toward solving critical minerals and energy issues.

Meetings like the AASG Annual Meeting enable collaboration and information sharing among the USGS, state geological surveys, and GSA, facilitating data-driven policy at all levels. For more information on these topics, or other legislation GSA is tracking, please visit geosociety.org/sciencepolicy or sign up to receive our Public Policy Newsletter!