“When we talk about natural resources, it is important that we protect our lands, that we manage our lands,” Brandt said, “but we have to look toward the future. We have to recognize that as we move forward with our society, we need to use the natural resources we were blessed with.”
Brandt spoke as part of an online panel to the theme, “Celebrating the Benefits of Domestic Mining in the Gem State,” which included Idaho congressmen Russ Fulcher and Mike Simpson, as well as Matthew Lengerich, executive general manager of Jervois Mining Ltd. Jervois Mining is managing the Idaho Cobalt Operations, a multi-million dollar project that is expected to begin production in mid-2022.
“The caucus works to support safe, responsible energy development,” said forum moderator, caucus chair and District 4 Washington Congressman Dan Newhouse, “and a huge part of that is encouraging stable, reliable resources that we need, including critical minerals that we need including cobalt.” He said the project will be essential “as we work toward a clean energy future in having a domestic source of cobalt that supports the local economy with protocols and regulations that protect both the workers and the environment, and that we truly should be celebrating.”
Brandt noted the timeliness of the discussion, as it related to his Christmas gifts: battery-powered yard tools. He noted, “I went down this avenue, not to save the planet but because of the technology,” adding the battery interchanges between devices and is long-lasting. Taking care of the land in Idaho County is important to him as, “I was born and raised here. I work and play here. I’m not imagining some place that I want preserved that I may visit sometime.”
Commenting on the county’s 5.5 million acres, Brandt said 4.5 million are federally managed, and of those “2.2 million are locked up in wilderness, which I classify as land of no use. I note that because it is important that as we move into the future, we need to manage the land to protect it.”
According to information from Congressman Fulcher, the Idaho Cobalt Operations project is projected to create about 150 to 200 jobs in the Salmon-Challis area.
Congressman Fulcher commented, “Through my experience working for a microchip company, I saw firsthand the benefit critical minerals exploration can pose to a country. Cobalt in particular has many uses like aerospace manufacturing and lithium-ion batteries. Rather than relying on other countries — some even being adversaries to the United States — for these critical minerals, our country should be fostering these opportunities domestically like we are seeing with the Idaho Cobalt Operations.”