Hickenlooper Welcomes Federal Funding for Colorado School of Mines to Boost American Tech, Mining Workforce

The Colorado School of Mines will reportedly receive more than $32 million for a tech development hub WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper released the following statement welcoming reports that the Colorado School of Mines will receive $32.7 million in federal funding to support a tech development hub. “We won’t achieve our clean energy future – nor compete with China – without shoring up our critical minerals supply and developing our workforce. “Colorado School of Mines is already the beating heart of American innovation and mining education. This investment will help advance American leadership in critical minerals.” Currently, there are only about 600 students in mining programs in the U.S. compared to China’s more than 12,000 students . Securing U.S. critical mineral supply chains and countering China’s dominance in the industry will require the U.S. to reinvest in our mining workforce. Hickenlooper has long called for a ‘Project Mercury’ for critical materials, arguing that America needs to take back the reins on critical minerals production in order to effectively address climate change and unlock secure, affordable energy. Specifically, the federal funding will help level up America’s mining, metallurgical, geological, and mineral workforce. In the 119th Congress, Hickenlooper has led and co-sponsored multiple other critical minerals related bills, including: His bipartisan Mining Schools Act of 2025 to bolster America’s declining mining workforce and help secure our clean energy future. The bipartisan STRATEGIC Minerals Act to foster critical minerals trade with our international allies. His bipartisan Unearth Innovation Act to establish a DOE program for sustainable critical minerals and recycling research innovation. His bipartisan Critical Materials Future Act to establish a pilot program for the Department of Energy to financially support domestic critical material processing projects. His bipartisan Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) Reauthorization Act to fund the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Earth MRI program, which improves our understanding of critical minerals, geothermal potential, and other subsurface resources across the country. His bipartisan Finding Opportunities for Resource Exploration (Finding ORE) Act to strengthen U.S. mineral security and reduce strategic vulnerabilities. ###