There is a tendency to think of data as generic, especially when it is vast, but the uniqueness of mineral data makes it the ultimate non-commodity, primed to take advantage of AI....more
We want to inform you of a new law in Maryland, effective January 1, 2025, that mandates baby food manufacturers to test for toxic heavy metals, excluding infant formula. Known as Rudy’s Law, this legislation was inspired by...more
A recent Congressional report identified the risk of toxic heavy metal contamination of various brands of commercial baby food. Palmquist v. Hain Celestial Group is one of the first of many cases pending nationwide seeking...more
As the age of tobacco-based nicotine products shrinks in the rearview mirror, it comes as no surprise that consumers, young and old, are increasingly being drawn to its modern equivalent: e-cigarettes, also known as vapes....more
The UK’s latest sanctions affect multiple areas and actors, including Turkish, Chinese, and Dubai-based entities alleged to support Russian military activities. This Client Alert is published in the context of ongoing...more
In December 2022, Consumer Reports published a study on lead and cadmium in dark chocolate. Dark chocolate came into vogue when studies showed antioxidants in it may have health benefits. Consumer Reports discovered something...more
This is the first article in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Energy & Natural Resources thought leadership series titled Striking the Balance: Permitting Reforms for Mining and the Energy Transition. In this series, we’ll explore the...more
The mining & metals sector, long perceived by the broader markets as an old-fashioned heavy industry, is embracing technological innovation and new forms of partnership as it seeks to harness productivity growth and the...more
A group of 20 Democratic AGs wrote a comment letter to the FDA urging it to act on prior AG petitions asking the FDA to issue strong, specific guidance to the baby food industry on testing for lead and other toxic elements....more
In December 2023 – January 2024, we conducted a straw poll of 240 decision makers in the mining & metals sector via an online survey. While the findings are subject to the limitations of sample-based information, they do...more
EU’s 12th Sanctions Package - On 19 December 2023, the Council of the European Union (EU) together with the Commission published its 12th round of sanctions....more
Proposition 65: Quarterly Highlights (October 2023) - Downey Brand’s latest roundup of Proposition 65 Notices of Violation (“Notices”) summarizes Notices filed in the third quarter of 2023. Citizen plaintiff groups filed one...more
Welcome to this week's issue of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and its government affairs affiliate, ML Strategies. The accelerating advances in artificial intelligence (“AI”) and the practical,...more
Geography—as much as geology—is driving commercial activity and opportunities for mining & metals firms as decarbonization accelerates - The old adage—credited to J. Paul Getty—goes, "The meek shall inherit the Earth, but...more
Downey Brand’s latest roundup of Proposition 65 Notices of Violation (“Notices”) summarizes the Notices filed in the first two quarters of 2023. Between the first and second quarters of 2023, citizen plaintiff groups...more
Water systems should begin preparing now for the October 16, 2024 deadline to submit a lead service line inventory. The new requirement was established in recent updates to the federal Lead & Copper Rule as part of the...more
Recent disruptions in the global food supply chains have highlighted Africa's urgent need to become self-sufficient in food production. Traditionally, the continent has turned to small-scale community-based agricultural...more
In the world of shifting geopolitical tensions and supply chain vulnerabilities exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, the push for mineral & metal security is changing the way governments, regulators, sector participants and...more
Solar panels, wind turbines, heat pumps and batteries are all made of metal and—unlike a barrel of oil or ton of coal—metals can be recycled. Countries heavily dependent on imports of crucial decarbonisation minerals are...more
I. Legislative News - Subsoil Use - - Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development ("MIID") has approved the Solid Commercial Minerals ("SCM") and Hydrocarbons Reserves Classification Methodology, as well as the...more
EPA recently revised the national emission standard for hazardous air pollutants for certain coating manufacturers. The result is new performance tests and controls for existing affected sources adding metal hazardous air...more
Modern technologies in all industries require critical raw materials (CRM). From cobalt to lithium to gallium. But CRM are scarce. The EU is relying heavily on imports. Recent supply chain disruptions caused by the Corona...more
On February 24, 2023—the first anniversary of the Russian Federation’s Ukraine incursion—the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of...more
On February 24, 2023, the US government announced a new round of trade actions targeting goods and entities from Russia. The new actions, which coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine,...more
Even with the exceptional deal activity seen in 2021, the mining & metals sector saw a run of M&A transactions in 2022 not seen in a decade, resulting in a grand total of 288 deals worth US$88.2 billion for the year. Net...more