[SeekAndFind]

The author proposes that we look at the use of THORIUM.

Thorium can be used in special type of nuclear reactor which has been shown to be proliferation resistant and safer than the High Pressure Water Reactors (HPWR) which are based upon uranium.

Back in the early 1960s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) built a Liquid Fluoride-Thorium salt reactor (LFTR). The reactor was designed by Dr. Alvin Weinberg, who was the director of ORNL. The reactor operated without incident for a number of years before it was shut down by Congress in favor of fast breeder reactors and HPWR because each of these types of reactors produce weapons grade fissile plutonium and uranium which was in great demand because of the Cold War arms race.

The demonstration of the LFTR reactor was a magnificent success. It proved that LFTR types of reactors were safer than uranium-based HPWR in a number of ways.

Read more at above link...

[billorites]

There's strontium and silicon and silver and samarium,
And bismuth, bromine, lithium, beryllium, and barium.

[Psalm 73]

"The mining operations of the Chinese rare earth mineral deposits leaves behind huge toxic and radioactive waste dumps."

Wasn't it Paul Krugman who said we could learn a lot about economics from the Chinese?

[KC_Lion]

Thank You for posting.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The mining operations of the Chinese rare earth mineral deposits leaves behind huge toxic and radioactive waste dumps.

This is what always gets me about ultra-liberal environmental laws in the United States (which, by and large, are a good thing). Liberals are very happy to drive EVs and build millions of windmills, both of which use vast quantities of REMs. But they don't want the toxic effluent in the U.S., so they happily outsource REM mining and production to China and other third world countries with no or minimal environmental safeguards.

Whatever happed to their silly mantra "Think Globally, Act Locally"? If they were truly "Thinking Globally" and had integrity, they would refuse to buy ANY products that use REMs including Teslas and all "green energy" from windmills.

[NewJerseyJoe]

P4L

[SpaceBar]

The article isn't about thorium, it's about prohibitive regulations and costs in the U.S. that are nonexistent in the relatively unregulated PRC. The western U.S. has plentiful low/sub-economic REE deposits, but tooling up in peacetime, making the EPA happy, and making a profit in the current political climate is virtually impossible.

[AustinBill]

More hand-wringing over nothing. China captured share in rare earth minerals due to their lax mine safety and environmental practices that artificially lowered their costs of production relative to others. They've paid a heavy human and environmental price for this "success", but of course the ruling party doesn't care about such details.

If China withdraws from the market others will step forward to offer supply. Yes, your iPhone might cost a couple of bucks more, at least for a while until fully robotic mining operations are put in place. So what. This threat will have zero real leverage against the US.

[piasa]

The U.S. is helping China build a novel, superior nuclear reactor
3/23/2015, 10:02:23 AM · by ckilmer · 27 replies
fortune.com ^ | February 2, 2015, 2:48 PM EDT | Mark Halper

The U.S. is helping China build a novel, superior nuclear reactor by Mark Halper February 2, 2015, 2:48 PM EDT Share icons The Department of Energy is dusting off one of the old betamaxes of nuclear technology: The molten salt reactor. But with political will lacking at home, it will rise in China.In 1973, the Nixon administration made a momentous decision that altered the course of civilian nuclear power: It fired the director of the renowned Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scuppering development of a reactor widely regarded as safer and superior to the complicated, inferior behemoths that define the global...

[Therapsid]

REEMF Recently partnered with Synchron general atomics the only American owned domestic rare earth supply was $15 in 2011 might be a big deal. https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/1576085150-us-military-to-sponsor-rare-metals-plant-to-offset-dependence-on-china-report PHUN 1.34 52wk high of $100+ insiders buying .. contracted to run TRUMP presidential campaign .. .. viva L.V. !