US Government Buys Stake in Alaska Miner to Unlock Critical Minerals – Sparks “Copper Rush” Controversy
U.S. Stakes a Claim in Alaska’s Mineral Riches In an unprecedented step for U.S. industrial policy, the federal government announced it will become a shareholder in a private mining company to advance a domestic source of critical minerals. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum revealed that the U.S. government is acquiring about 10% of Trilogy Metals Inc., a small Canadian firm, to help fund its mining projects in Alaska’s remote Ambler Mining District reuters.com. The deal – a $35.6 million investment – is meant to jump-start exploration of rich copper and cobalt deposits on U.S. soil. “The Department [of] War, the United States