1、 USA MINING 2025-26Pre-Release EditionMining Sovereignty From a legal principle to mineral policy Princeton University defines sovereignty as the authority over all others within its field of operation and the absence of any other superior authority in the same field.Traditionally,a legal concept ap

2、plied to states,sovereignty is also used in resource policy debates.At its core,the concept of mineral sovereignty implies that a country must hold decision-making authority over the extraction and use of its critical and strategic minerals directly or indirectly.When Donald J.Trump assumed office f

3、or the second time on January 20,2025,he highlighted the importance of sovereignty during his inaugural address:“Our sovereignty will be reclaimed,”he proclaimed.For the mining industry,this statement carries a lot of weight.Fulfilling the conditions for mineral sovereignty has been elusive for the

4、United States;the US remains dependent on imports of many of the USGS-listed critical minerals,most of which are outsourced,directly or indirectly,from China.In todays geopolitical context,where the US has historically led the liberal international order and China has emerged as its primary rival ac

5、ross economics,military reach,technology,and political soft power,the reliance is worrying.Steve Trussell,executive director of the Arizona Mining Association,said:“The Trump Administration has re-emphasized mining as a significant economic and national security matter,particularly in the face of fo

6、reign relations challenges and reliance on the import of 40 of 50 of our critical minerals.”The Trump Administrations aggressive mining agenda may seem new,but the groundwork was laid years earlier.Kwame Awuah-Offei,chair of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri University of Science and Tec