RE-STEM Industrial Systems Initiative

RE-STEM: Rail Enabled Sustainable Transportation of Essential Minerals

Introduction

The essential minerals industry in North America is at an inflection point. Due to re-shoring, re-industrialization, and population growth trends, there is an ideal time to expand continental mineral mining and production. The mineral industry can serve these developments and reap economic rewards by integrating environmental stewardship with industrial progress, setting a new standard that meets market demands while preserving the planet for future generations. The path to success can be advanced collaboratively with relevant stakeholders by embracing whole systems planning, full lifecycle accounting, and multi-modal transportation that optimizes the use of railroads.

Join Up!

Lets work together right now. Go to Participation Options to enter this world of positive change collaboration. The OTNA Staff look forward to meeting you. Essential Minerals Environmental and Community IntelliConference

RE-STEM Stakeholders

Collaboration among stakeholders is fundamental to achieving economically and environmentally sustainable and practical growth opportunities for:

• Essential mineral companies;
• essential mineral-related companies;
• class 1, 2, and 3 railroads, and;
• the industries and communities they serve.

RE-STEM engages fourteen interdependent stakeholder groups:

• Industry leaders;
• investors, banks, and economic developers;
• employees, customers, suppliers, and citizens;
• essential minerals planners, land developers, realtors, and site selectors; and
• other services and government leaders.

Learn more about RE-STEM Stakeholders.

IntelliConference Series

RE-STEM IntelliConferences Series begin with the most important dialogues for advancing North America’s essential mineral needs. The IntelliConferences are being conceived with the input of key essential mineral stakeholder participants. Based on this input these topics may change.

• Foster Community Engagement and Benefit-Sharing - Create frameworks that ensure communities and advocacy groups participate in decision-making and receive tangible benefits from mining operations.
• Streamline Permitting and Regulatory Frameworks - Establish expedited permitting procedures without compromising environmental standards, reducing approval timelines from 7-10 years to 2-3 years.
• Develop Advanced Mining Technologies - Invest in automation, precision extraction methods, and AI-enabled resource mapping to minimize environmental impact while maximizing yield.
• Establish Robust Supply Chain Infrastructure - Create integrated transportation networks prioritizing rail transport, emphasizing multimodal capabilities to efficiently move materials from mines to processors to manufacturers.
• Implement Full Lifecycle Accounting - Adopt comprehensive accounting practices that capture all environmental, social, and economic impacts from exploration through reclamation.
• Expand Domestic Processing Capabilities - Build processing facilities within the US to reduce dependence on foreign refinement and create complete mineral value chains domestically.
• Create Public-Private Investment Partnerships - Develop funding mechanisms that share risk between government and industry to support capital-intensive mining projects and processing facilities.
• Build Workforce Development Programs - Establish specialized education and training initiatives to address the skills gap in modern mining, processing, and sustainability practices.
• Advance Circular Economy Systems - Implement recycling and reclamation technologies to recover essential minerals from waste streams and end-of-life products.
• Coordinate Strategic Mineral Stockpiling - Develop a national strategic reserve of essential minerals to buffer against supply disruptions and price volatility.

Essential Minerals Policy and Governmental Agencies IntelliConference

Background Statement:

Regulations and permitting processes evolve over time among public- and private-sector actors without important levels of trust, free-flowing engagement, and common sense. Consequently, both public interests and private sector progress are handicapped. A new approach for updating the regulatory and planning framework for the essential minerals supply chain is needed.

Core Question:

What regulations can stakeholders agree on that are either outdated, de minimis, redundant, or counterproductive, and can be improved, replaced, or eliminated in support of the growth and safety of essential mineral production and delivery?

Round One Dialogue Questions-Issue Framing:

1. Which federal agencies might be enrolled in participating and supporting RE-STEM?
   1. Environmental Protection Agency
   2. U.S. Department of Labor Mining Safety and Health Administration
   3. U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management
   4. U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service
   5. U.S. Department of Interior Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
   6. U.S. Department of Interior, Division of Mineral Resources
   7. U.S. Department of Energy
2. Which federal laws regulate mining?
   1. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
   2. Clean Air Act (CAA)
   3. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
   4. Clean Water Act (CWA)
   5. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
   6. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA)
3. Which state and local agencies might be enrolled in participating and supporting this development?
   1. State Surface Mining Commissions
   2. State Bureau of Mines and Geology Departments
   3. State Departments of Natural Resources
   4. Fish and Wildlife Agencies
4. What are the concerns of the government agencies that interact with the mineral industry?
5. What policy and regulatory issues are essential mineral companies concerned with?
   1. Clean Energy Reform Act
   2. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act reaffirms decades of mining law and precedent and provides certainty for America's mineral producers.
6. What are the concerns of each stakeholder group?

Round Two Dialogue Questions-Issue Exploration:

1. What policy solutions will support the development of increased processing capacity?
   1. https://fas.org/publication/critical-thinking-on-critical-minerals/
2. What behaviors by mineral companies do government agencies want to see improved?
3. Where are the opportunities for collaboration, transparency, and trust to enhance the productivity of relations among stakeholder groups?
4. What antitrust and other laws and regulations regarding government convening must be considered for the amendment to accommodate more robust collaboration with and among the private sector?
5. How can government agencies improve mining permit inefficiencies?
   1. NEPA
   2. Improved Jurisdictional Coordination
   3. Uniform Interagency Approach
   4. Adequate Staffing and Specialized Talent
   5. https://natlawreview.com/article/permitting-reform-united-states

Notes

This material is form the original draft of this page. Per Jeff's discussion with Michael we are attempting to standardize on Industry Action Plan front pages

Foundational Principles

1. Collaborative Industrial Optimization
2. Environmental Responsibility
3. Community Engagement
4. Transparent Communication
5. Sustainable Systems Capitalization