September 13, 2026 - An official from President Donald Trump’s administration made an explosive visit to the Mining City on Friday.

Audrey Robertson, the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy and head of the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, set off dynamite during a tour of the Underground Mine Education Center on the Montana Tech Campus.

U.S. Assistant Energy Secretary tours underground mine at Montana Tech.

Photo: NBC Montana

“It was a great opportunity today to show off what we have here at Montana Tech. The main reason I came to Montana Tech from 30 hours away is because of this Underground Mine Education Center we have here on campus,” said Dozick Zablocki, a Montana Tech senior majoring in mining engineering. “It’s a great opportunity for students and government officials to come see what we’re doing.”

“The practical classroom is really an important part of the experience for students. And what an honor to blast six feet of rock,” said Robertson.

This is part of an ongoing program called The Prospect Initiative where the Department of Energy is partnering with premier mining institutions on workforce development and energy innovation.

“The hands-on component to mining is an important part of the mining education. We are still working with the physical world, but the mine of the future will not be necessarily like the mine of the past. And places like Montana Tech, who have a rich history in the mines of the past, are going to be essential to how we mine for the next 100 years. And the laboratory underground is just as important as the laboratory above ground as it comes to developing new technologies and new people who will be influential and instrumental in the space,” said Robertson.

The visit to the only on-campus underground educational mine in the nation comes as the university was awarded a mine of the future grant from the Trump administration.

“Montana Tech is a subrecipient of one of our lab partners to develop in situ leaching in the ground. So, ways to extract minerals without actually blasting rock,” said Robertson.

Zablocki says those in the mining engineering program are working on connecting the jumbo heading to the east heading. They are currently 18 feet off, but believe they could be connected by the end of the year.

“We’re also drilling, doing some research on our north heading. Right now, we have a student there doing some research for a master’s degree, which is an awesome opportunity that kids can do here at the mine,” said Zablocki.

Zablocki says he already has two job offers lined up and says it is critical that mining engineers stay in the mining industry.

“Getting more involved within the mining industry and the demand for critical minerals, things of that nature,” said Zablocki.

Following the tour of the Orphan Boy Mine, Robertson held a roundtable discussion with students and attended a 9/11 Day of Remembrance luncheon with first responders.

Robertson is far from the first official with the Trump administration to visit Butte, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin have also made their way to town.

“To have a secure supply chain, you have to secure every stage of that supply chain. Secretary Burgum, (Energy) Secretary (Chris) Wright, the President himself, is very involved with understanding how can America refortify American supply chains? And that starts with minerals and materials, and it goes then to manufacturing. And we’re bringing it all back to America,” said Robertson.