C3 Solutions explains the importance of rare earth elements for clean energy and national security.
- Rare earth elements are essential to many sectors of our economy, including renewable energy, manufacturing, and defense equipment.
- Currently, China supplies about 80% of our REE, setting up a potential supply chain disaster.
- In order to improve our domestic supply chain we must modernize the permitting process to open mines, invest in our mining industry, and diversify our supply chain to include trade with allies such as Japan and Australia.
- This is not only an environmental concern, but also an important national security issue.
“Rare earth elements (REE) are 17 natural elements that have become essential to America’s national security and economic prosperity. REE are needed to manufacture a multitude of products, including cell phones, batteries, airplanes, solar panels, satellites, and military technology, among many others.”
Read the policy paper here.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.
