RE-STEM Industrial Systems Initiative

RE-STEM: Rail Enabled Sustainable Transportation of Essential Minerals

Introduction

The essential minerals industry in North America is at an inflection point. Due to re-shoring, re-industrialization, and population growth trends, there is an ideal time to expand continental mineral mining and production. The mineral industry can serve these developments and reap economic rewards by integrating environmental stewardship with industrial progress, setting a new standard that meets market demands while preserving the planet for future generations. The path to success can be advanced collaboratively with relevant stakeholders by embracing whole systems planning, full lifecycle accounting, and multi-modal transportation that optimizes the use of railroads.

Join Up!

Lets work together right now. Go to Participation Options to enter this world of positive change collaboration. The OTNA Staff look forward to meeting you. Essential Minerals Environmental and Community IntelliConference

RE-STEM Stakeholders

Collaboration among stakeholders is fundamental to achieving economically and environmentally sustainable and practical growth opportunities for:

• Essential mineral companies;
• essential mineral-related companies;
• class 1, 2, and 3 railroads, and;
• the industries and communities they serve.

RE-STEM engages fourteen interdependent stakeholder groups:

• Industry leaders;
• investors, banks, and economic developers;
• employees, customers, suppliers, and citizens;
• essential minerals planners, land developers, realtors, and site selectors; and
• other services and government leaders.

Learn more about RE-STEM Stakeholders.

IntelliConference Series

RE-STEM IntelliConferences Series begin with the most important dialogues for advancing North America’s essential mineral needs. The IntelliConferences are being conceived with the input of key essential mineral stakeholder participants. Based on this input these topics may change.

• Foster Community Engagement and Benefit-Sharing - Create frameworks that ensure communities and advocacy groups participate in decision-making and receive tangible benefits from mining operations.
• Streamline Permitting and Regulatory Frameworks - Establish expedited permitting procedures without compromising environmental standards, reducing approval timelines from 7-10 years to 2-3 years.
• Develop Advanced Mining Technologies - Invest in automation, precision extraction methods, and AI-enabled resource mapping to minimize environmental impact while maximizing yield.
• Establish Robust Supply Chain Infrastructure - Create integrated transportation networks prioritizing rail transport, emphasizing multimodal capabilities to efficiently move materials from mines to processors to manufacturers.
• Implement Full Lifecycle Accounting - Adopt comprehensive accounting practices that capture all environmental, social, and economic impacts from exploration through reclamation.
• Expand Domestic Processing Capabilities - Build processing facilities within the US to reduce dependence on foreign refinement and create complete mineral value chains domestically.
• Create Public-Private Investment Partnerships - Develop funding mechanisms that share risk between government and industry to support capital-intensive mining projects and processing facilities.
• Build Workforce Development Programs - Establish specialized education and training initiatives to address the skills gap in modern mining, processing, and sustainability practices.
• Advance Circular Economy Systems - Implement recycling and reclamation technologies to recover essential minerals from waste streams and end-of-life products.
• Coordinate Strategic Mineral Stockpiling - Develop a national strategic reserve of essential minerals to buffer against supply disruptions and price volatility.

Notes

This material is form the original draft of this page. Per Jeff's discussion with Michael we are attempting to standardize on Industry Action Plan front pages

Foundational Principles

1. Collaborative Industrial Optimization
2. Environmental Responsibility
3. Community Engagement
4. Transparent Communication
5. Sustainable Systems Capitalization