Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) spearheaded a recent letter to Secretary of War Pete Hegseth urging the expansion of domestic copper mining.
The Letter
Joining Rep. Biggs in the letter are Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ) and Eli Crane (R-AZ), who wrote, "We urge the Department to identify where copper mining, processing, refining, recycling, and related infrastructure can be developed on the roughly 3.12 million acres of defense land it manages in Arizona."
They also point out that Arizona accounts for 70% of domestic copper production, and the metal is indispensable to modern military hardware.
Moreover, President Donald Trump's Executive Order 14220 declared the importance of copper for national security, while Executive Order 14241 calls for maximizing domestic production, and Executive Order 14415 mandates that critical materials used in military hardware come solely from the United States or allied sources.
In addition to calling on Secretary Hegseth to identify defense land in Arizona for copper production, Rep. Biggs urged the identification of authorities, programs, partnerships, and investments the Department can leverage to accelerate mining, processing, refining, and recycling capacity in Arizona, and to identify any statutory changes Congress should consider.
Finally, the Arizona congressmen asked for a briefing within 90 days detailing potential sites and projects, available resources, and outstanding infrastructure or permitting requirements.
What Biggs is Saying
"Arizona has been blessed with an abundance of natural resources that are essential to America's economic prosperity and national security," Biggs said in a press release. "For too long, our country has allowed unnecessary barriers and an overreliance on foreign supply chains to undermine our ability to produce the critical materials our military needs. Arizona already leads in copper production, and we have a tremendous opportunity to build on that strength. We should be looking at every responsible avenue to expand domestic production, unleash American industry, and ensure our military has a reliable supply of the resources necessary to defend our citizens and freedoms."
