A Biden administration will continue to help them strengthen that stranglehold ... just as Clinton and Obama did.
The Space Force can venture into other galaxies and find that these materials aren’t so rare.
They can take Lithium off the list. Not Rare and the only reason we’d buy it from China is because they used slave labor to mine it so it’s cheaper.
All the Lithium the US will ever need is in the US/Mexico/Canada.
Rare Earths are actually not rare. They are spread across the world, but in small amounts relative to everything else.
That means they are energy, land and up until recently, pollution intensive. Its why China controls them all. They simply kept producing, while the rest of the western world abandoned production.
Lefties will drive any and all producers away. Is it any wonder why the last mine in the USA was in - California?
Looks like a very good recycling project.
It’s being done.
didn’t Trump do an EO on mining/metals about two months ago?
Actually the US has two great reservoirs of rare earth ores. One is an active open pit mine in California, and the other one is undeveloped and underneath a man made lake in Texas, but was well surveyed before it was flooded.
Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine, CA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_Pass_mine
Barringer Hill, under Lake Buchanan, TX
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barringer_Hill
Rare earth minerals are also obtained as a by product of the mining of anthracite coal.
The downside to this, and why China is dominant in rare earths, is because processing rare earth minerals is *filthy*. Several important ones are chemically similar, which requires very toxic chemicals to separate.
China mines and processes its rare earths in barren deserts so doesn’t give a hoot about pollution.
Side note: some of the places it mines, like the colored hills, are spectacular. Here is an actual picture, the colors are true to life.
To get any traction, they're going to have to publish coloring books explaining to millennials, that their cell phones will be taken away.
Too late, unless the option of Military Force is used.
The market will address this condition.
I am sure joe will get right on this important issue..
FYI - Background story:
How the US lost the plot on rare earths
Rick Mills, January 25, 2019, Battery Metals Rare Earth
https://www.mining.com/web/us-lost-plot-rare-earths/
