Biden Anti-#Mining Policies at Odds With #GreenEnergy Goals

"There is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing," says US President Biden.

But there's at least one reason why these products can't be built in the US: Minerals.

Currently, the United States is 100% dependent on imports of 17 key minerals—and over 50% on another 30 minerals.

It's clearly time for the US to get serious about expanding domestic critical minerals production

Biden Admin's Anti-Mining Policies at Odds With Green Energy Goals, Experts Say

Chris Woodward – InsideSources

President Joe Biden has made two commitments on green energy. One is to dramatically increase the use of green tech like electric vehicles (EVs), windmills and solar power. The other is to build that new tech here in America.

"There is simply no reason why the blades for wind turbines can't be built in Pittsburgh instead of Beijing," Biden said during his State of the Union address. And he wants half of all new cars sold in 2030 to be EVs, too.

But there's at least one reason why these products can't be built in America: Minerals. 

Production of green tech, like batteries for EVs, relies heavily on minerals such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.

"Currently, the United States is 100 percent dependent on imports of 17 key minerals," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said at a March 31 hearing. "We are over 50 percent dependent on imports of another 30 minerals."

The solution, said Ashley Burke, senior vice president for communications at National Mining Association (NMA), is to increase domestic production. "When you talk about made in America, those materials and those things that are made in America should also be mined in America as well," Burke said.

But the Biden administration appears to be at cross purposes on the issue. Just days ago, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers withhold a permit needed for PolyMet Mining to open a mine in northeastern Minnesota. According to the company, there are 290 million tons of copper and nickel, as well as "marketable reserves of palladium, platinum, and cobalt," one of the richest deposits in the world.

Republicans in Congress said the EPA's decision is a blow to U.S. interests and a win for China.

"These anti-mining policies will make America even more dependent upon the Chinese Communist Party for critical minerals," said House Committee on Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) "Critical minerals – like the copper, nickel, and cobalt promised by this Minnesota mining project – are desperately needed for our energy sector and should be produced, processed, and manufactured here in the United States.

"If President Biden is serious about securing our supply chains for critical minerals, particularly for the energy sector, he will prioritize the permitting of mining projects in America. Otherwise, he will be ceding control over these supply chains to China."

…

"It is clearly time for us to get serious about expanding domestic mineral production," Barrasso added.

Meanwhile, demand for metals and minerals is only going up.

"Copper demand is going to skyrocket," said Burke. "In addition to lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, these are all things we have here in the United States, and depending on who you're talking to, demand for those minerals that are really key to electrification, EVs, our energy future, that's going to explode you know between 500 to 1000 percent by 2040."

Merrill Matthews, Ph.D. of the Institute for Policy Innovation says he believes going after more U.S. resources is not only possible but can also be done quickly.

"If President Biden wants to ramp up investment and production of cutting edge, affordable battery technology that can power electric cars and store energy from intermittent renewable sources like wind and solar power, he needs to imitate Operation Warp Speed," said Matthews…

Right now, Matthews said Biden's approach toward increasing batteries "appears to take the opposite approach."

"One of the things about mining is that it doesn't happen overnight, with the flip of a switch," said Burke. "It takes a long time to stand up a mine and that's one of the reasons that we are so focused on really streamlining that permitting process because — when you look at where we are in the United States — it takes about 7 to 10 years to stand up a mine here."

Nations such as Canada and Australia can do it in two to three years.

…

"If you care about the environment and also labor protections and all of the things that we say we care about here in the United States, this is exactly where you should be sourcing these materials," said Burke. "We know they're going to be done right in accordance with really the highest protections out there and in accordance with great safety standards as well.

"There is just so much that can be done to streamline this while keeping all of the rigor in the process," Burke said.

See the whole piece here: https://insidesources.com/biden-admins-anti-mining-policies-at-odds-with-green-energy-goals-experts-say/