DHS Reiterates Longstanding Status Of Mining As Critical Infrastructure Sector
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The National Mining Association (NMA) applauded the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for reiterating that mining is explicitly included in its list of 16 critical infrastructure sectors that should maintain their work schedules to help the response to the coronavirus outbreak. The clarification came in an update to its “Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response.”
“Our nation needs stability right now. We need a dependable supply chain for our manufacturing sector. And we need to know that our power sector is secure across the country,” said Rich Nolan, NMA president and CEO.
“Mining underpins every aspect of our economy, providing the metals, minerals and coal that are essential to nearly every sector identified as critical infrastructure under DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) National Infrastructure Protection Plan. It was gratifying to see DHS reiterate the importance of our industry during this crisis,” added Nolan.
There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof. Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21): Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience advances a national policy to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning and resilient critical infrastructure. This directive supersedes Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7.
Mining has for years been expressly recognized as essential in the DHS plan under the sector overview’s discussion of coal and the DHS plan under the sector overview’s breakdown on minerals activities, and today’s updated memorandum confirms and re-emphasizes this longstanding status.
About National Mining Association
The National Mining Association (NMA) is U.S. mining’s advocate in Washington, D.C. and beyond. NMA is the only national trade organization that represents the interests of mining before Congress, the administration, federal agencies, the judiciary and the media — providing a clear voice for U.S. mining. NMA’s mission is to build support for public policies that will help America fully and responsibly utilize its coal and mineral resources.
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NMA has a membership of more than 300 corporations and organizations involved in various aspects of mining. NMA provides a forum for these diverse industry segments to be informed, heard and represented.
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