Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
We can ignore all the danger signs until America’s adversaries cut off exports of vital minerals and metals and the lights go dim and factories shut down. Or we can try to act with a sense of urgency and do something about ending our dependence on autocracies like China and Russia to supply minerals and metals needed for energy production and building batteries for electric vehicles and electricity transmission systems.
China supplies two-thirds of the rare earth minerals used in EV batteries, wind turbines, smart phones, and weapons systems. Mineral embargoes by China are not hypothetical. During a political dispute with Japan over access to the South China Sea a few years ago, China cut off rare earth shipments to Japan. More recently, during tense trade negotiations, China threatened to do the same against the United States. Or Russia, a key supplier of critically important minerals and metals, including nickel for steel production and batteries, and uranium fuel for nuclear power plants.
Our dependence on Russia for some vital minerals is worrisome, for good reason. Think about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the trade war it has triggered. Russia could cut off uranium exports to the U.S., just as it has with natural gas shipments to Europe.
Although policymakers and pundits say the realistic possibility of embargoes is remote, we would be remiss in not taking prudent action against the possibility that if we do nothing to reduce the risk the danger will grow. How much longer can we count on good luck with a criminal like Vladimir Putin?
The public interest requires that we adopt a more rational policy toward mining vital minerals and metals. Unlike oil, a commodity produced around the world, the production and processing of key minerals such as lithium, cobalt and rare earths are highly concentrated in a handful of countries. Avoiding a sudden loss of critical raw materials justifies immediate action. But that will require Congress to approve changes in the government’s permitting process -- which adds horrendous costs and delays to mining projects.
Granted, mining is anathema to some people. However, the dangerous warming of the planet should be a wakeup call. Fears of even more extreme climate changes than we’re experiencing are shattering hopes that all we need to do is follow a climate-driven Green agenda to mitigate climate change.
The outlook is troubling because we have been very slow in building new mines to provide the raw materials needed for electrified transportation and solar and wind power. Will it require an embargo for us to take strong action?
The intransigence by anti-mining environmentalists may receive much of the blame for blocking passage of permitting legislation. But the real fault lies with those who don’t remember the lessons of the 1973 oil embargo, and who are unwilling to plan for the permanent crisis in the supply of minerals and metals that inevitably lies ahead.
Jim Constantopoulos is a geology professor at Eastern New Mexico University. Contact him at:
