Greg Klein reports that the U.S. is “sleepwalking into the same level of dependence on imported minerals that there once was for oil, which became an Achilles’ heel for energy security.” So argues Jeff Green, a Washington D.C.-based lobbyist and advocate of increased American self-reliance for critical commodities. Writing in the Hill, Green says his country’s Department of Defense “should be gravely concerned that disruptions in America’s mineral supply chain could undermine our national security. The U.S. military uses 750,000 tons of minerals each year to keep our country and troops safe. However, the U.S. is now entirely reliant on other countries for at least 20 minerals needed to build fighter jets, engines, radar, missile defense systems, satellites, precision munitions and other key technologies.”
Last January the U.S. Geological Survey identified 20 minerals, some considered critical, for which the U.S. imports 100% of its supply. But of all the challenges to American domestic production Green focuses on permitting, which he portrays as a seven-to-10-year federal and state rigmarole that makes even Canada look good by comparison. While streamlining wouldn’t provide a solution in itself, “allowing American miners to get back to work, rather than waiting on multiple, redundant teams of lawyers to pore through thousands of pages of permitting applications, is a positive first step toward strengthening our economy and our military for years to come.”
See the needs as required by NASA: http://resourceclips.com/2017/02/14/the-nasa-model/
The target commodities: http://resourceclips.com/2017/01/31/u-s-increases-its-dependence-on-critical-mineral-imports/
As reported by the U.S. Geological Survey: https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/mcs/2017/mcs2017.pdf
Original working URL: http://resourceclips.com/2017/12/18/american-dependence-on-imported-critical-minerals-threatens-national-security-jeff-green/
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