More Questions Than Answers: An international partnership for mineral security leaves Alaska miners scratching their heads.

• Date: 01 November 2022
• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Author: Orr, Vanessa

In June, the United States and other countries established the Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) to bolster critical mineral supply chains. The goal, according to the announcement made at the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention, is to ensure that critical minerals are produced, processed, and recycled in a manner that supports the ability of countries to realize the full economic development benefit of their geological endowments.

The need for critical minerals, which are essential for clean energy and other technologies, is projected to expand significantly in the coming decades. Members of the MSP--which include Australia, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Commission--are hoping that this partnership helps to catalyze investment from governments and the private sector for strategic opportunities that adhere to the highest environmental, social, and governance standards.

"The Biden administration has a bold, aggressive agenda when it comes to transforming the electric grid and transitioning to electric vehicles, and given the need for raw materials to ramp up production of alternative energy sources in the way that the president has articulated, it should be no surprise that the administration is looking to all available resources to meet those immediate needs," says Deantha Skibinski, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association. "This includes our allies, which is why they claim that the Minerals Security Partnership is necessary."

While it makes sense that national governments are paying attention to how and where these minerals are obtained, mining and development interests in Alaska question how the MSP will help the state.

What Are Critical Minerals?

"Everywhere we turn, we hear about critical and strategic minerals--it's almost a generic term at this point," says Skibinski. "A rule that Alaska miners live by when it comes to minerals is, Critical means you need it, and strategic means you don't have it.' And we have a problem with both."

While the MSP is focused on critical minerals, there is some concern that the minerals that fall into this category should not be the partnership's only focus.

"Everyone is aware of widespread supply chain issues on all fronts. Major automakers are producing $90,000 vehicles that don't have power-adjusting seats because they can't get the computer chips necessary to build that part of the vehicle,"...