Why It Matters

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. filed a new lobbying registration with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP on June 1, signed June 12. The registration marks the company's first known entry into federal lobbying. The timing puts Platinum Group Metals into Washington just as congressional and executive attention on palladium supply chains and critical mineral policy is running high.

By The Numbers

The registration lists no dollar amount, as is standard for initial filings. Two lobbyists are on the account:

  • Tom Wotka, a Senior Policy Adviser at Brownstein
  • Samantha Carl-Yoder, a Principal and Co-Chair of the firm's International Practice.

Both are listed as active. No in-house lobbying team is disclosed.

Broader Context

The lobbying registration lands against a backdrop of significant congressional and executive activity around platinum group metals. The Trump administration imposed a 133 percent anti-dumping duty on Russian palladium, a move that Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) described in a March 2026 op-ed as a response to Russia "flooding the global market with palladium" in an effort to undercut U.S. producers, including the Stillwater Mine in Montana, the only primary domestic producer of platinum and palladium. Daines argued the Russian strategy was designed to "create a monopoly" and put competitors out of business.

The Bottom Line

Congressional voices on platinum group metals have been active in the past year. In a February 2026 Fox Business appearance at the Stillwater facility, Daines praised the anti-dumping action and credited the Trump administration with moving where the Biden administration had stalled. Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) posted in August 2025 that "Russia cheats the palladium market" and that the Montana delegation "won't stand for it."

Separately, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) highlighted platinum group metals in a July 2025 post, noting their importance to defense, health, and transportation and the strategic value of reducing U.S. reliance on foreign sources.

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