Interior Secretary Doug Burgum appeared in Butte, Montana, on Friday to hail the revival of the state’s mining sector just as President Donald Trump moved to slap tariffs on Russian mineral imports.
Burgum visited Montana Tech University alongside Republican Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, who led the agency during Trump’s first term, to tour mineral labs there, host a roundtable and call for millions more in appropriated funds to support exploration for copper and other materials.
But the event also highlighted the Department of Commerce’s announcement of a preliminary 132 percent tariff on Russian palladium imports, which Montana’s delegation and Sibanye-Stillwater, which operates a massive platinum and palladium mine in the state, have long pushed for.
“Montana stands at the forefront of America’s mining future, and today’s visit underlines the Trump administration, Congressman Zinke and the entire Montana delegation’s commitment to restoring American Mineral Dominance and advancing a bold, pro-worker agenda across the West,” Burgum said in a statement.
