August 17, 2026 - Below is an editorial featured in the Denver Gazette:

A hard-hat tip to President Donald Trump for his recent announcement that Colorado School of Mines in Golden will receive a share of $100 million to train the next generation of American miners. 

“The schools came to us seeking $10 million per year in funding,” Trump said at a roundtable discussion the other day in the nation’s capital. “Instead, I’m thrilled to announce that we’re delivering $100 million to train the next generation of American miners.”

The money is massive for Mines, a jewel in the crown of our state’s higher ed. It is one of the nation’s most distinguished institutions for studying engineering and the applied sciences. In an era when confidence in higher ed is dipping, Mines continues to draw some of the sharpest, most intrepid young minds — science’s explorers of tomorrow.

The infusion also bodes well, or course, for the mining industry in our state, and the federal windfall comes along at an opportune time.

With the aging of the Baby Boomer generation, it’s estimated as much as half of the nation’s current mining workforce will retire within the next three years. Up steps plucky Gen Z, eager to seize the generational opportunity.

Mines intends to use the cash infusion to build a 50,000-square-foot facility focused on advancing technology, speeding ideas into pilot programs and moving innovations toward commercialization. 

Along with the funding for schools like Mines, President Trump said there will be $2 billion more aimed at revitalizing the mining industry.

As reported in The Gazette, Mines President Paul Johnson said he is “doing the happy dance” after learning the administration planned to invest millions not only in reinvigorating the mining industry but also in supporting engineering schools.

Johnson thanked Trump and said the funding would significantly strengthen the mining community. He noted that, while mining programs nationwide have shrunk, they have grown in Colorado over the past two years — growth he attributed to the administration’s support.

Mining is teeming with potential to strengthen Colorado and improve the quality of life of Coloradans. That’s especially so on the Western Slope, where communities dependent on coal mining have been at risk due to shifting energy priorities by state policymakers.

As noted in The Gazette’s report, the president was joined at the roundtable by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum — underscoring the high priority the administration is placing on mining.

Rubio called the investment essential, saying mining is “a domain that goes to the very survival of the country” and argued the U.S. has fallen decades behind. Trump’s announcement, he said, will help reverse that trend.

A White House press statement added, “The mining industry has never had a greater champion than President Trump. His unprecedented support has driven record investment, streamlined permitting and delivered real results for American workers, companies and communities.”

It’s certainly good news for Colorado, where mining has been a cornerstone industry from the start. It brought the Centennial State its first economic boom.

Now, with resurgent interest in nuclear power, Colorado’s once-thriving uranium mining industry could be poised for a kick-start, too. That could make our state — long a major producer of oil, natural gas and coal — a leader in the nation’s energy production in a whole new way.