PODCAST:
Aug. 10, 2026 ~ U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Doug Bergum joins Ryan Ermanni to discuss the latest mining announcement from the Secretary and President Trump on Friday, the administration’s energy focus, the NEDC, and more!
WASHINGTON, D.C. ~ In an effort to boost crucial mineral production and curb the decline of mining students, as only 14 mining schools remain in the country, U.S. President Donald Trump announced $180 million in educational grants for the mining industry Friday.
The Department of Energy launched a $100 million program, with the goal of doubling the number of people with mining degrees, as less than 200 students graduated with mining and metallurgical degrees last year. The Department of War is giving more than $80 million to three schools, the Colorado School of Mines, the South Dakota School of Mines, and Johns Hopkins University for a technology hub and other programs.
“If they’ve driven a car made in Michigan, they’re using critical minerals. We have to be a country where we’re not dependent on China. And right now, China controls 85 to 100 percent of the processing and refining of the top 20 critical minerals,” Bergum said on ‘JR Afternoon. “This is the largest investment ever made in our mining schools in modern history.”
