No, we’re at the mercy of the EPA and fedgov. We have plenty of rare earth resources. However, rare earths tend to be found with radioactive elements, and nobody can get a permit to mine them.
>Are we at their mercy?
>>Yes, since we have plenty but choose not to use our own.
>>>No, we’re at the mercy of the EPA and fedgov. We have plenty of rare earth resources. However, rare earths tend to be found with radioactive elements, and nobody can get a permit to mine them.
Isn’t this a property rights issue? “We” (our local, state and federal government) choose to not cause pollution to mine these relatively sparse rare earth resources that are fairly distributed throughout the world.