In 1858, a small group of prospectors discovered placer gold in what would later become Denver. Shortly after, tens of thousands arrived seeking mineral resources in the mountains to the West. With mixed success, some abandoned their efforts while those who persisted made gold discoveries in present day Central City, Idaho Springs and Gold Hill and went on to found the state of Colorado in 1876 and the Colorado Mining Association, the first mining association in the United States, that same year.   

In the decades to follow, commodity cycles would give rise to new Colorado communities as mining built roads, schools, hospitals, railways and governments — even serving as the basis for the system of Western water law still practiced today. Many of Colorado’s cities and towns were established by mining — Denver as the staging point for mining expeditions, as well as Telluride, Silverton, Aspen, Cripple Creek, Victor, Leadville and others. Landmarks, too, like The Broadmoor and institutions including the El Pomar Foundation, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and arts centers throughout the state. The contributions of mining are indelible in Colorado’s communities and its culture. 

As time went on, early mining methods that employed dangerous working conditions and limited environmental protections were replaced by dramatically stronger mine safety, environmental and sustainability standards, with modern reclamation practices restoring — and in certain cases enhancing — natural areas and wildlife habitat.  

Today, Colorado is home to more mining industry professionals than any other state, with almost 60,000 people working in all facets of mining and minerals innovation, from engineering and environmental sciences to law and finance in an industry that contributes $7 billion annually to the state economy. Colorado has one of the most diverse mineral endowments in the country and hosts a broad range of mining and minerals technology and innovation companies developing projects in Colorado and around the world. In addition to serving as a global hub for the minerals industry, Colorado also has among the best research and innovation infrastructures for mining in the world, with the National Lab of the Rockies, regional offices for the U.S. Geological Survey, the Colorado Geological Survey, the world’s top-ranked mining engineering program at the Colorado School of Mines, and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at Mines, a leading research and policy institute for energy, minerals, and environmental issues.  

This year, Colorado and the Colorado Mining Association celebrate their shared 150th anniversary at perhaps the most consequential time for the mining and minerals industry in decades.  

Following Colorado’s strong start as the nation’s mining hub, the U.S. and our allies slowly outsourced much of our minerals development and processing capability overseas, with China controlling roughly 70% of global rare earth mining, more than 90% of rare earth refining, and roughly 95% of permanent magnet production, as well as the market prices for rare earth elements at each step of the process. Minerals end users formerly accustomed to abundant supplies of affordable foreign-sourced minerals are now exposed to supply chain fragility, price fluctuations, and the increasingly evident environmental and humanitarian conditions of their development which fail to meet even the most basic standards.  

The world is now on notice that the old minerals paradigm cannot continue.  

The need for critical minerals is covered by national news outlets on a near-daily basis as the race to secure resources for energy supply, advanced manufacturing, and national defense intensifies. In previous years, conversations on mining often involved transitioning mining communities into other sectors. Today, forward-looking countries, organizations, universities, and companies that are focused on energy solutions, technology, and national security are increasingly investing in mining, processing, and minerals innovation.  

In short, those looking to gain a competitive edge in the new economy are transitioning toward mining rather than away from it.  

Fortunately, wheels are in motion to leverage Colorado’s mining innovation ecosystem to address minerals related challenges in our state and around the world. Earlier this month, the administration announced a proposed $32.7 million federal investment for the Critical Minerals Innovation and Commercialization Hub at the Colorado School of Mines to accelerate critical minerals technologies. The Hub, announced earlier this year, is a 50,000-square-foot facility in Golden designed to support partnerships that drive innovation and accelerate commercialization, strengthening domestic critical minerals supply chains across the full value chain — from resource development and manufacturing to recycling and workforce development. The announcement came at a roundtable on critical minerals workforce hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Security Council, and the National Energy Dominance Council, bringing together government leaders, industry, and academic institutions.  

This investment underscores the strength of Colorado’s mining, research and technology base and its leadership in critical minerals innovation. Bringing together industry, academia and government to advance critical minerals technology and commercialization is essential to strengthening U.S. mineral supply chains. 

In addition to serving as the country’s minerals innovation hub, Colorado’s broader economy and public policy imperatives are also directly served by mining and minerals innovation. Colorado has the nation’s second-largest aerospace industry, the largest aerospace employment per capita, and access to reliable and responsibly sourced minerals supply chains is vital to the success of our aerospace and defense sector. Biosciences also rely on mineral resources for medical equipment and emerging treatments, and critical minerals are the building blocks for advanced manufacturing applications including semiconductors, quantum, and robotics. Our energy security, under heightened demands from AI data centers and the accelerated retirement of conventional power, will require significantly more mineral inputs to meet carbon reduction targets.  

As the front end of the supply chain for geothermal, nuclear, wind, solar, battery technology and transmission, mining is undeniably a strategic industry and central to advancing Colorado’s competitiveness in the years to come. Leveraging our workforce and innovation capabilities to develop mineral resources and employ them in new energy technologies will also determine the extent to which Colorado contributes to solving its energy supply challenges, rather than relying on others to solve them for us. Public policy that streamlines permitting procedures, invests in mining education, and encourages continued and new investment in minerals production will pay dividends on our ability to build out minerals-reliant projects in other strategic industries.  

The direct benefit for local communities from new critical minerals development would be substantial as well. Last year, the Common Sense Institute found that a single new critical minerals project in the western portion of the state alone could generate over 3,000 jobs in the statewide labor force and over $1.3 billion in statewide GDP. Economic headwinds in Colorado forecasted by the University of Colorado School of Business’s 2026 Economic Outlook — including slower economic growth, and reflected in CNBC’s recent Top States for Business ranking, which showed a sharp decline in Colorado’s economic competitiveness — could be substantially reversed by harnessing our minerals sector to drive new growth and support downstream minerals end users. And the economic potential from the Critical Minerals Innovation and Commercialization Hub and the Colorado Mining Association’s minerals innovation member companies magnifies the contribution of the sector enormously.  

While competitors won’t be standing still, as a global hub for innovation, technology, and talent, Colorado is well positioned to lead the next generation of mining.  

Adam Eckman is president & CEO of the Colorado Mining Association, the nation’s oldest mining association representing the mining and minerals industry. A Colorado native and attorney, he previously served at the National Mining Association, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.