Roy Matthews writes in RealClearEnergy that more mining at home is a win-win for the environment and defense.
- Rare earth minerals are essential for powering solar panels, wind turbines, cellphones, and fighter jets.
- Authoritarian regimes such as China control the global market for these metals, which poses a significant national security risk to the United States.
- America can bolster our supply of rare earths by reducing regulations for domestic mining and working with allied nations to create a more sustainable supply chain.
“A domestic mining and REE industry can only serve to fix long-standing dependence on China for crucial defense materials and allow for a cleaner and more efficient energy transition. Conserving the environment to the point where no mine, industrial site, or manufacturing hub can be developed in the U.S. will come back to haunt Americans.”
Read the full article here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
