RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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President Trump on Friday announced more than $180 million in grants to boost educational and trade programs for the mining industry, part of a bid to increase critical mineral production.Mr. Trump unveiled the plans at a roundtable at the State Department with educational leaders from universities like the Colorado School of Mines, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.\u00a0CBS News was first to report on the educational grant programs early Friday.The Department of Energy is launching a $100 million grant program aimed at expanding the mining and critical mineral workforce by dramatically increasing the number of people with degrees in those areas over the next two years. The program is expected to financially support scholarships and other programs, an official said. Universities, community colleges, trade schools, industry groups and other partners will be eligible to apply.The military is also offering more than $80 million in additional funding to three universities.\u00a0The Colorado School of Mines is expected to get $32.7 million for a tech development hub, the South Dakota School of Mines will get $25 million to set up workforce development programs, and Johns Hopkins University will get $23.6 million for a recycling-focused program.During Friday\u0027s event, Mr. Trump said the grants were aimed at reversing a longstanding decline in the number of U.S. mining students. Fewer than 600 people were enrolled in mining engineering programs nationwide in 2023, down from just under 1,500 eight years earlier, according to data compiled by the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration and the Society of Mining Professors."For years, mining schools and colleges that are essential to training the future leaders of this industry have been absolutely and sadly disappearing," the president said.The White House also announced a series of investments by the military in mining companies, battery manufacturers and other firms that work with critical minerals.The grants come as the Trump administration pushes to increase U.S. production of critical minerals like lithium, silicon, graphite and rare-earth elements. Those materials are essential for making semiconductors, aerospace equipment and many other modern technologies, but China mines and refines an outsized share of the world\u0027s critical minerals.Mr. Trump has also sought to boost the coal mining industry. His administration pledged $700 million in grants to coal plants and a coal export terminal in June, and it has eased environmental regulations that restricted the coal industry."Critical minerals are the raw materials of American strength that power everything from advanced weaponry to automobiles. We want these essential products to be mined, refined and made right here in the USA," Mr. Trump said.
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