The Treasury rules are being lauded as a boost for processing and smelting but insufficient for a U.S. mining sector that’s lagged for years.
Abigail Hunter, executive director of SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, said the Treasury language supports domestic processing facilities and creates reliable buyers for miners, helping the U.S. compete in the short term.
“The final rule is a game-changer for companies refining, smelting and processing materials at home — especially in today’s low-price market,” Hunter said.
“The midstream is the most concentrated node of the supply chain — and also where the United States can compete in the short term without resource constraints,” she added. “Supporting domestic processing facilities creates reliable buyers for miners, or alternatively incentivizes them to co-locate future mining and processing operations domestically.”
