The U.S. Secretary of the Interior met with mining executives and local government officials at the site of the largest Superfund complex in the world to discuss how to revitalize Montana’s former mining hub.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum joined Rep. Ryan Zinke for a tour of Montana Technological Institute in Butte on Feb. 27. School faculty shared their latest mining and engineering tech with the federal officials.
The tour preceded a roundtable discussion with local government leaders, mining industry executives, and other private companies like Sabey Data Centers. No one from renewable energy industries was present.
Burgum told attendees the Trump administration’s push for mining innovation and permitting reform means big opportunity for legacy mining hubs like Butte.
"The world is changing right in front of us," Burgum said. "And instead of being afraid of it and stopping it and trying to kill it with court cases and regulation, places like Montana should be embracing it."
He says renewable energy sources like wind and solar continuously fail to meet public energy needs. Current federal data show renewable-sourced energy generation is growing as fossil fuels fall.
Burgum praised the United States’ current approach to mining.
"They should want it to be happening in places like Montana, because we do it cleaner, better, smarter, safer and with newer technology and greater concern for humanity than any place on the planet," Burgum said.
His statements come on the heels of changes to state and federal environmental policies. These include lower water quality standards and the EPA rollback of bedrock environmental regulations.
Butte Chief Executive J.P. Gallagher acknowledged the city’s muddled mining history, but says he wants to see Butte back on the map as an industry leader.
"We have a one-stop shop in our community when you look at what we have. We've got active mining, but we also have a college here that is sending out the best and brightest throughout the world in mining and petroleum and environmental as well, and electrical."
Absent from Friday’s discussions were any details around several recent Montana mining projects fast-tracked by the federal government.
