S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum traveled to Caracas for a meeting with Venezuela's new leadership since former President Nicolás Maduro was taken away by American forces. S.
official to travel to Caracas to meet with acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who was sworn in after the capture of Nicolás Maduro. S. S.
representatives. S. would benefit from hundreds of millions of barrels of oil that Washington was taking out.
We heard assurances in the meeting today and yesterday that if companies wanted to get to these areas, do due diligence, think about reopening mines, maybe even getting back to mines that they themselves were running 15 or 20 years ago, that this government would ensure their security.
S. interior minister Doug Burgum said the two countries will work together to develop mining in Venezuela. S.
President Donald Trump's National Energy Dominance Council, according to reports. The Trump administration seeks to defend against China's hold on critical minerals and advance its plan to stabilize Venezuela. S.
government's phased plan to turn around Venezuela. ' However, the specific security measures Venezuela's government will implement to protect mining companies in unsafe areas have not been detailed. Venezuela is rich in gold, copper, coltan, bauxite, diamonds, and other precious mined resources.
I believe the steps we are taking demonstrate the goodwill to build this cooperation agenda in the energy and mining sectors, which will strengthen relations between our two countries for the benefit of the people of Venezuela and the people of the United States.
Niobium and tantalum, critical minerals for smartphones and electric vehicle batteries, are extracted from coltan. Jorge Rodríguez, leader of Venezuela's Congress and brother of the interim president, said reforms would allow large foreign companies to mine minerals and rare earth elements. He referred to 'large foreign companies' as potential investors.
The detailed terms of the mining reforms and foreign investment laws mentioned by Jorge Rodríguez remain unclear. Venezuela has changed its law to allow more foreign investment in its previously nationalised oil sector. S.
and Venezuela's cooperation on mining will impact China's hold on critical minerals is not yet known. Venezuela's mineral-rich areas have long been controlled by guerrilla members, gangs, and other illegal groups that mine with consent and to the benefit of officials and the military, according to major media reports. Illegal mining has expanded in Venezuela, with environmentalists condemning deforestation and pollution, and criminal gangs running illegal operations amid allegations of political corruption.
S. accused Nicolás Maduro and other members of his government of leading a criminal organisation involved in illegal mining and drug trafficking. How the expansion of legal mining will address environmental concerns like deforestation and pollution from illegal operations has not been specified.
, and how it might affect political dynamics in Venezuela, is uncertain.