Daines Visits Stillwater Mine: “Thanks to President Trump, Montana Mining is Back”

WASHINGTON, D.C. –U.S. Senator Steve Daines today visited Sibanye-Stillwater’sColumbus metallurgical complex,where he met with miners and toured the operations. Daines touted President Trump’s recent anti-dumping duty to counter the flood of Russian palladium into American markets, which will help protect Montana mining jobs.
“Montana mining is back. The Stillwater Mine is absolutely critical for Montana’s economy and for America’s national security, and I’m thrilled that President Trump has recognized its importance and is fighting to protect Montana jobs. Thank you to all the miners and employees at Stillwater- we can’t commend you enough for your hard work,”said Daines.
“We at Sibanye-Stillwater are proud to mine and recycle critical minerals in Montana for the USA. We believe the US can and must continue to responsibly produce domestic critical minerals, like our platinum and palladium, under US standards and not be captive to foreign adversaries from unregulated regions, like Russia, who are competing in our global markets. The Trump Administration’s enforcement of US trade law in its preliminary imposition of 132% tariffs on Russian palladium imports will help level this playing field.  We are especially grateful to Senator Daines for his unwavering commitment to our people and operations. Keeping Russian palladium out of the US market has contributed to the prices we needed to ensure that we can keep producing critical minerals for generations to come,”said Heather McDowell, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.
Background:
Countering Russia’s adversarial and unfair trade practices regarding critical minerals has been a Daines priority. The Sibanye-Stillwater mine laid off 700 workers in November 2024 as a result of Biden administration inaction over Russia’s anti-market behavior. In response Daines introduced legislation to address the situation inSept 2024and again inFeb 2025.
Senator Daines sent several letters to the Trump Administration urging corrective action to counter Russia’s behavior and protect Montana mining- read moreHERE.Read his statement applauding the administration for issuing a Russian anti-dumping duty rateHERE.
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Contact:Matt Lloyd,Gabby Wiggins