{"id":1590417,"date":"2022-08-05T08:02:48","date_gmt":"2022-08-05T12:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590417"},"modified":"2022-08-05T08:03:07","modified_gmt":"2022-08-05T12:03:07","slug":"even-this-left-wing-report-sounds-the-alarm-u-s-is-way-too-dependent-on-communist-china-for-minerals-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/even-this-left-wing-report-sounds-the-alarm-u-s-is-way-too-dependent-on-communist-china-for-minerals-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Even This Left-Wing Report Sounds The Alarm: U.S. Is Way Too Dependent On Communist China For Minerals"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Feven-this-left-wing-report-sounds-the-alarm-u-s-is-way-too-dependent-on-communist-china-for-minerals-2%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1590417&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/LTRC_ChinaSupplyChain.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> from the liberal Brookings Institute out Monday warned that the United States and European supply chains are too dependent on China for modern technologies such as electric vehicles, transmission, and energy storage. <\/p>\n<p>The report, titled \u201cChina\u2019s Role in Supplying Critical Minerals for the Global Energy Transition,\u201d is urging Western policymakers to expedite an overhaul of their mining regulatory regime to meet 21st-century demand for clean technology. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cChina is the dominant global player in refining strategic minerals,\u201d the authors wrote, with Chinese operations refining 68 percent of the world\u2019s nickel, 40 percent of the world\u2019s copper, 59 percent of lithium, and 73 percent of cobalt. \u201cMost notably, China holds 78 percent of the world\u2019s cell manufacturing capacity for [electric vehicle] batteries, which are then assembled into modules that are used to form a battery pack.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beyond Chinese monopolization of electric battery production, demand for which is set to spike as the Biden administration <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2021\/08\/07\/bidens-electric-vehicle-plan-without-mining-expansion-is-a-big-win-for-beijing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reaches<\/a> to achieve its goal of half U.S. auto sales being electric by 2030 with generous subsidies, Beijing also maintains a grip on rare earth mining. <\/p>\n<p>The 17 rare earth elements (REE) are not just critical for electric cars and wind turbines, but also for aerospace and defense technologies. President Joe Biden\u2019s aggressive expansion of wind power at the expense of a reliable power grid run by conventional sources, has only deepened American reliance on Chinese exports. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2022-02\/Wind%20Energy%20Supply%20Chain%20Report%20-%20Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">According<\/a> to the Department of Energy, \u201cdemand for rare earth elements for wind power alone could exceed the supply for all uses by 1.6 to 3.5 times over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although China dominates in the refinement of critical minerals and rare earth production, the authors emphasize Beijing lacks the upper hand in mining critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt. Together, Australia and Chile are home to more than 70 percent of the global lithium supply, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo alone extracts nearly 70 percent of the world\u2019s cobalt. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile China has a clear downstream competitive advantage, it does not dominate the upstream for critical minerals,\u201d the authors wrote. However, the Chinese are working to change that. \u201cWith demand for critical minerals rapidly increasing, Chinese companies are striking new deals for minerals globally to secure raw mineral inputs for refining and battery manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>American lawmakers have certainly taken notice of vulnerabilities in supply chains as global turmoil, from Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine to rising tensions with China, has ramped up the pressure to produce more critical minerals within the United States.<\/p>\n<p>In June, the U.S. along with nine allied nations and the European Commission formed the Minerals Security Partnership, which is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/energy\/us-forms-friendly-coalition-secure-critical-minerals-andy-home-2022-06-30\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seen<\/a> as a form of \u201cmetallic NATO,\u201d to insulate stability and security in supply chains among members. The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources also held a series of hearings on the nation\u2019s supply of critical minerals this spring, where members of both sides of the aisle expressed a need to develop new American mines.  <\/p>\n<p>\u201cFrom the technologies needed to support military readiness and combat climate change to the cell phones in our pockets or the cars in our driveways, critical minerals are essential to life we lead and the technologies we have come to depend on,\u201d said Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who chairs the committee. \u201cAccelerating their production and establishing secure and dependable supply chains is vital to our energy and national security.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers have proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eenews.net\/articles\/bipartisan-forces-taking-aim-at-1872-mining-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reforms<\/a> to the Mining Act of 1872, though uncertainty over the final outcome has continued to chill investment in the capital-intensive industry. A proposed lithium mine in Nevada, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/toyota-panasonic-battery-jv-buy-lithium-ioneers-nevada-mine-2022-07-31\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">described<\/a> by Reuters as \u201cthe first new U.S. source of the battery metal in decades,\u201d is the sole exception after Panasonic and Toyota came to a deal to purchase from the project.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S., in particular, will likely have to update and amend its mining regulatory regime,\u201d the authors of the Brookings report wrote, describing it as \u201coutdated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Debra Struhsacker, a hardrock mining and environmental policy expert who has testified before Congress five times, agrees. The nation\u2019s current regulatory mining regime, Struhsacker told The Federalist, \u201cis fraught with delays and uncertainly,\u201d with permitting processes, not environmental rules, in desperate need of reform.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. has tremendous potential,\u201d Struhsacker said, with rich deposits of lithium, copper, cobalt, nickel, and antimony, to name a few, waiting for harvest across the American continent. The nation\u2019s complex permitting system, which has created a lucrative litigation industry to shut down major projects, however, has stifled the ability to develop new mines. \u201cPart of the reason we have so much reliance on foreign minerals is because we\u2019ve made our own lands off-limits to mining,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>While Congress has struggled to put together a bipartisan package to stimulate American mining operations, Struhsacker said, she gives Biden a \u201cD\u201d on his performance addressing the issue.<\/p>\n<p>In April, Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to support mining operations behind lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese, but the administration has continued to shut down major projects from Alaska to Minnesota. <\/p>\n<p>Biden\u2019s Department of the Interior welcomed the new year with the cancellation of mineral leases for a copper and nickel mine in Minnesota. The proposed \u201cTwin Metals\u201d mine in the Superior National Forest, which Struhsacker described as a \u201cworld class resource,\u201d would be one of the largest in the nation. In May, Biden\u2019s Environmental Protection Agency <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/climate-environment\/2022\/05\/25\/biden-epa-bristol-bay-salmon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">moved<\/a> to shut down plans for a trillion-dollar copper project known as \u201cPebble Mine\u201d in southwest Alaska. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Biden administration is currently taking some steps to address these challenges related to political and stakeholder factors, but its efforts are not commensurate with the scale of the challenge,\u201d reads the Brookings report. \u201cMoreover, the administration has been unwilling to advance controversial projects like Pebble and Twin Metals, which are likely needed to significantly increase domestic supply in the short term.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Struhsacker summed up her assessment of Biden\u2019s approach as \u201cschizophrenic.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOn the one hand he\u2019s giving policy lip service to the need for these minerals but he hasn\u2019t really given his land management agencies the imperative to get critical mineral projects permitted,\u201d Struhsacker said. <\/p>\n<p>The mixed signals to the industry from the White House\u2019s inconsistency, combined with a slow-moving Congress, is maintaining the status quo of reliance on foreign sources. In the end, that means an era of supply-chain vulnerability and higher emissions from overseas transportation as opposed to domestic mining operations here at home.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-comments mt-30 mt-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-comments-container d-flex flex-column align-items-center py-30\">\n    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/fdrlst-mark.svg\" class=\"img-fluid mb-20\" alt=\"The Federalist logo eagle mark\" \/>    <\/p>\n<p>Unlock commenting by joining the Federalist Community.<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/plans\/pricing\/\" class=\"btn btn-on-white\">Subscribe<\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new report from the liberal Brookings Institute out Monday warned that the United States and European supply chains are too dependent on China for modern technologies such as electric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":494,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1590417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/494"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1590417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1590417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1590417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1590417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1590417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}