Published: November 4, 2021 |

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A mining-industry survey has ranked Idaho the most mining-friendly jurisdiction in the world, displacing Finland, which ranked first the prior year.

The 2020 annual survey, conducted by the Fraser Institute in Canada, asked mining and exploration companies to rate jurisdictions around the world, including provinces, states, and countries; this year’s survey covers 77 jurisdictions. Two measures were evaluated: policy perception, and mineral potential. It was on policy perception that Idaho was ranked tops. A weighted index that combines both factors rated Idaho 9th.

Idaho Gov. Brad Little touted the survey results on Twitter on Monday, and addressed a big annual mining conference at the Boise Centre on Tuesday morning. “I’m proud of our history and the mining industry in Idaho,” he told the conference, which drew about 350 attendees from around the world.

“Some of the critics will say, ‘Oh, you’re loosening those regulations to where business is unfettered.’ That is not the case at all. We’re trying to make these regulations so they work, particularly for smaller operators that don’t have a regulatory staff, in-house attorneys, etc., to where we understand the regulations. And then, the public, they understand what the regulations are,” Little said.

“Because that clarity is what’s going to give people confidence,” Little added.

Ben Davenport, executive vice president of the Idaho Mining Association, praised Little’s approach.

“His administration, with the help of the Idaho Legislature, went to work cutting red tape and reducing the regulatory burden on virtually every industry here in Idaho,” Davenport said as he introduced the governor at the conference.

The governor described the Idaho Mining Association as “a partner with us, on literally everything we do.”

“We’re partners in creating this incredible miracle that’s taking place here in Idaho,” Little said, touting the state’s strong economy.

“I am very bullish. If I had the opportunity to buy stock in any of the 50 states, I’d really go long on buying stock in Idaho, because of what all of you have done,” Little added.

By 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, the governor’s Twitter post about the survey had drawn 66 comments, nearly all of them negative; the post also got 11 retweets and 62 “likes.”

Idaho’s long history with mining has been a turbulent one; Idaho is home to one of the largest Superfund clean-up sites in the world in North Idaho’s Silver Valley, due to contamination from historic mining in the area. The state’s worst mining disaster came in 1972 when an underground fire at the Sunshine Mine in the Silver Valley killed 92 miners.

State Rep. Terry Gestrin, R-Donnelly, who attended the governor’s talk on Tuesday morning, said mining is picking up in his district and has “a great future in Idaho.”

“A lot of this is going to fix legacy problems. Practices have changed a lot,” Gestrin said.

Carrie Rawley, site administration supervisor for Endo Mines Idaho Division, which is mining in the Elk City area and recently purchased seven Idaho mines, said she appreciated the governor’s remarks.

“A lot of states make it really hard to do business, that type of business. Idaho is definitely not one of those states, which is nice,” Rawley said.

She said a significant attraction of the Boise mining conference is the opportunity to connect with vendors; numerous vendors set up booths in a trade show outside the ballroom where the governor spoke. The conference is set to run for two days, and includes presentations on everything from permitting to exploration to reclamation.

John Robison, public lands director for the Idaho Conservation League, also was among the conference participants.

“We have a good working relationship with a number of mining companies, and are encouraged to see more attention paid to first avoiding environmental issues, rather than trying to clean them up afterwards,” Robison said.

“However, knowing what we know about mining now, responsible mining means recognizing that some places are too special to mine,” Robison added.

Though mining is one of Idaho’s historic industries, it currently represents less than 2 percent of Idaho’s gross domestic product, according the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Direct mining, quarrying, and oil or gas extraction employment in Idaho in the second quarter of 2021 came to less than half a percent of Idaho’s private, non-farm jobs, according to Idaho Department of Labor statistics.

The mining industry survey showed that Idaho’s top ranking for policy perception was followed by Wyoming in second place; Finland in third; and then the Republic of Ireland, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Newfoundland & Labrador, Saskatchewan, and New Mexico making up the top 10.

Idaho ranked 18th for mineral potential.

For overall investment attractiveness, which weighed both policy perception, at 40 percent, and mineral potential, at 60 percent, Nevada ranked first, followed by Arizona, Saskatchewan and Western Australia. Also in the top 10 were Alaska, Quebec, South Australia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Idaho, and Finland.

The bottom-ranked jurisdiction was Venezuela. Others in the bottom 10 included Chubut, Tanzania, Indonesia, two regions of Argentina, Bolivia, Zimbabwe, Spain, and Michigan.

The Fraser Institute has conducted the annual survey since 1997.

Source: Idaho Press

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