{
  "id": 6162159,
  "title": "Critical minerals security collides with decades-long mine timelines",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/critical-minerals-security-collides-with-decades-long-mine-timelines",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-07T19:19:55.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mining.com",
    "slug": "mining-com",
    "url": "https://www.mining.com/critical-minerals-security-collides-with-decades-long-mine-timelines/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States' efforts to reduce its reliance on China for critical minerals are hampered by the lengthy timeline required to determine the viability of mining projects. In the US, transforming a mineral discovery into commercial production can take over three decades, involving engineering, technical validation, financing, and permitting. However, national security and procurement objectives typically operate on shorter timelines, measured in years rather than decades. The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulations (DFARS), set to take effect in January 2027, will require defense materials to originate from non-aligned countries. This timeline clash is deemed unrealistic by Dr. Ari Rostami, CEO of mining technology company AiMinr, who states that US critical minerals production is not aligned with the deadline. Rostami attributes the issue to a fundamental mismatch between national security timelines and those governing mine development, noting that the mining industry moves through fragmented and sequential processes while China operates with an accelerated and centrally coordinated system. Furthermore, commodity markets and technology can change before a mine reaches production. Rostami points to cobalt as an example, highlighting how expectations of burgeoning cobalt demand from electric vehicles led to interest in new supply, but battery makers have increasingly adopted alternatives such as cobalt-free lithium-iron-phosphate chemistries. By the time US domestic mines become operational, the technology they were intended to address may have already shifted, or the market could have been lost to competition.",
  "summary": "Permitting is only part of the bottleneck, AiMinr CEO says.",
  "key_points": [
    "US efforts to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals face long mining timelines.",
    "Mining industry moves slower than national security timelines, with potential technology shifts."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}