Politics

/

ArcaMax

Trump wants US to be leading producer of non-fuel minerals. Here's how Pennsylvania could help

Fallon Roth, The Philadelphia Inquirer on

Published in Political News

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania could help President Donald Trump's second administration achieve its energy goals, but not in the way most people may think.

Fracking and Trump's promise to "drill, baby, drill" were staples of his campaign speeches in Pennsylvania last year as he attacked former Vice President Kamala Harris' flip-flopping on the issue.

It's unclear if Trump will be able to significantly expand the fracking industry in the state, but a top Pennsylvania energy expert said Trump could look to the commonwealth's vast offering of rare earth elements to help achieve his goal of establishing "our position as the leading producer and processor of non-fuel minerals."

Trump signed several executive orders last week that will likely have profound effects on energy and the environment. This includes, but is not limited to: streamlining the process and removing regulations for energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals; rolling back energy efficiency standards; declaring an energy emergency; ending leasing to wind farms; and pulling out of the Paris Agreement, a treaty on climate change.

The full-scale tangible effects of Trump's energy goals remain to be seen, as some policies may be more difficult to garner support for and some of the executive orders on energy signed by Trump contain vague language, according to experts.

Here's what Pennsylvania's role in energy policy could look like.

'Drill, baby, drill' in Pennsylvania — or maybe not?

Some experts say within the first 90 days, the Trump administration could make major moves to increase drilling in the U.S. But those federal policies will likely have little impact on the state, said John Quigley, senior fellow at University of Pennsylvania's Kleinman Center for Energy Policy.

The Allegheny National Forest makes up most of the federally owned land in Pennsylvania, but the federal government does not own mineral rights on 93% of that land, said Quigley, who served as Pennsylvania's secretary of conservation under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell and secretary of environmental protection under Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf.

Most fracking wells in the U.S. are on private land, but Trump's second term could allow for more drilling permits being leased to federal lands. This could depress prices and reduce industry profits, Quigley said.

Trump has indicated through executive order that he plans to identify and produce energy on lands, whether or not they're federally owned. Former President Joe Biden's administration pushed for renewable energy, but it never promoted a fracking ban, issuing more permits to drill for oil and natural gas on federal land than Trump did during his first term.

Pennsylvania is "looking at higher energy prices because of a 'drill, baby, drill' type approach, and that's the irony. We're going to face higher costs again, for consumers, businesses, industries," which could affect employment, gross domestic product, and the environment, Quigley said.

 

When asked about Trump's plans for fracking in Pennsylvania, a White House spokesperson said in a statement: "President Trump declared a national energy emergency [last week] and issued several energy executive orders to immediately begin reversing the harmful and shortsighted policies of the previous administration, which have resulted in inadequate energy supply and infrastructure, and ultimately higher energy prices for Americans."

How Pennsylvania's rare earth elements could help Trump's goals

While Trump might not be able to expand fracking in the state, the White House could set its sights on one of Pennsylvania's other natural offerings.

One of Trump's executive orders, titled "Unleashing American Energy," outlines the Trump administration's ambitions to assert its dominance in the development of non-fuel minerals. The White House says this goal "will create jobs and prosperity at home, strengthen supply chains for the United States and its allies, and reduce the global influence of malign and adversarial states."

Pennsylvania has had a rich offering of rare earth elements, known as lanthanides, since at least 1850. And materials — like coal waste or steel slag, for example — can be found throughout the state, including in Western Pennsylvania and in Luzerne and Schuylkill Counties, perhaps assisting the Trump administration in achieving the benchmark, Quigley said.

If the United States develops technology to "economically extract" the rare earth elements, it could open opportunities for new jobs and businesses in Pennsylvania while cleaning up polluted areas where these elements exist, like abandoned mines, Quigley said.

The elements are also key ingredients in magnets, batteries, and various electronic devices.

The use of rare earth elements for energy production is likely to be a bipartisan issue, Quigley said. In February 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy under the Biden administration announced more than $17 million in funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law that sought to fund projects that develop crucial materials from coal and coal byproducts.

_____

(Inquirer staff writer Frank Kummer contributed to this article.)

_____


© 2025 The Philadelphia Inquirer. Visit www.inquirer.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

 

Related Channels

ACLU

ACLU

By The ACLU
Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman

By Amy Goodman
Armstrong Williams

Armstrong Williams

By Armstrong Williams
Austin Bay

Austin Bay

By Austin Bay
Ben Shapiro

Ben Shapiro

By Ben Shapiro
Betsy McCaughey

Betsy McCaughey

By Betsy McCaughey
Bill Press

Bill Press

By Bill Press
Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

By Bonnie Jean Feldkamp
Cal Thomas

Cal Thomas

By Cal Thomas
Christine Flowers

Christine Flowers

By Christine Flowers
Clarence Page

Clarence Page

By Clarence Page
Danny Tyree

Danny Tyree

By Danny Tyree
David Harsanyi

David Harsanyi

By David Harsanyi
Debra Saunders

Debra Saunders

By Debra Saunders
Dennis Prager

Dennis Prager

By Dennis Prager
Dick Polman

Dick Polman

By Dick Polman
Erick Erickson

Erick Erickson

By Erick Erickson
Froma Harrop

Froma Harrop

By Froma Harrop
Jacob Sullum

Jacob Sullum

By Jacob Sullum
Jamie Stiehm

Jamie Stiehm

By Jamie Stiehm
Jeff Robbins

Jeff Robbins

By Jeff Robbins
Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

By Jessica Johnson
Jim Hightower

Jim Hightower

By Jim Hightower
Joe Conason

Joe Conason

By Joe Conason
Joe Guzzardi

Joe Guzzardi

By Joe Guzzardi
John Micek

John Micek

By John Micek
John Stossel

John Stossel

By John Stossel
Josh Hammer

Josh Hammer

By Josh Hammer
Judge Andrew Napolitano

Judge Andrew Napolitano

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano
Laura Hollis

Laura Hollis

By Laura Hollis
Marc Munroe Dion

Marc Munroe Dion

By Marc Munroe Dion
Michael Barone

Michael Barone

By Michael Barone
Michael Reagan

Michael Reagan

By Michael Reagan
Mona Charen

Mona Charen

By Mona Charen
Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

Oliver North and David L. Goetsch

By Oliver North and David L. Goetsch
R. Emmett Tyrrell

R. Emmett Tyrrell

By R. Emmett Tyrrell
Rachel Marsden

Rachel Marsden

By Rachel Marsden
Rich Lowry

Rich Lowry

By Rich Lowry
Robert B. Reich

Robert B. Reich

By Robert B. Reich
Ruben Navarrett Jr

Ruben Navarrett Jr

By Ruben Navarrett Jr.
Ruth Marcus

Ruth Marcus

By Ruth Marcus
S.E. Cupp

S.E. Cupp

By S.E. Cupp
Salena Zito

Salena Zito

By Salena Zito
Star Parker

Star Parker

By Star Parker
Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore

By Stephen Moore
Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich

By Susan Estrich
Ted Rall

Ted Rall

By Ted Rall
Terence P. Jeffrey

Terence P. Jeffrey

By Terence P. Jeffrey
Tim Graham

Tim Graham

By Tim Graham
Tom Purcell

Tom Purcell

By Tom Purcell
Veronique de Rugy

Veronique de Rugy

By Veronique de Rugy
Victor Joecks

Victor Joecks

By Victor Joecks
Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root

By Wayne Allyn Root

Comics

A.F. Branco Joel Pett Kirk Walters Daryl Cagle Bart van Leeuwen Gary McCoy