Biden Abandoned Critical Mineral Reserves in Afghanistan While Thwarting Mining at Home: GOP Forum

Republicans connected the House Committee connected Natural Resources held a forum Oct. 22 to sermon however President Biden’s exit from Afghanistan near massive, untapped reserves of rare-earth metals, lithium, and different captious minerals successful Taliban hands, perchance opening them up to exploitation by China.

Speakers said the Biden medication has simultaneously worked to hinder cardinal mining projects successful the United States, specified arsenic Minnesota’s Twin Metals copper-nickel project and Arizona’s Resolution copper mine, which would let the United States to nutrient galore of those minerals astatine home, thereby avoiding dependence connected the Taliban oregon the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

“It’s astir similar it’s intentional, to halt U.S. accumulation of these captious minerals and elements,” said Ranking Member Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).

Westerman’s remarks were aboriginal echoed by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), who said that immoderate of the environmentalist groups warring mining “we deliberation are getting wealth from Russia, China, and different countries that are foes of ours.”

Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), whose territory would see the projected Twin Metals mine, spoke astatine magnitude astir the economical and information costs of relying connected cardinal minerals from abroad.

“For 15 years, scientists from the USGS [U.S. Geological Survey], astatine a payer outgo of close astir $81 million, recovered monolithic amounts of lithium, gold, platinum, iron, coal, uranium, and more,” said Stauber.

“We cognize what happens next. The Taliban’s neighbour to the east, China, volition swoop successful and soon thereafter power each of these mineral resources. There is nary uncertainty astatine our existent pace, the United States volition person to acquisition those minerals from China for our electrical cars, our windmills, our iPhones, and our star panels,” Stauber continued.

“Northern Minnesota has these minerals. We could look to national miners to proviso them from my district. We person 95 [percent] of America’s nickel, 88 [percent] of America’s cobalt, and implicit one-third of America’s copper. It should beryllium easy.”

Discussing the anticipation of the imminent Chinese mineral exploitation successful Afghanistan, Joe Felter of the Hoover Institute said it was plausible, though not certain.

“It depends. The challenges and calculated risks of mining rare earths and different minerals are important successful Afghanistan, and they could outweigh the opportunities successful the near- and medium-term. One notable exception, I think, is China’s involvement successful getting accrued entree to lithium,” said Felter, who served successful the Pentagon nether Trump.

Felter recommended that the United States trim its reliance connected Chinese oregon Chinese-dominated proviso chains.

Pressed by Stauber connected wherever other the United States could root minerals, Felter responded that “almost immoderate different state than China would beryllium a amended alternative” earlier noting that Australia was a U.S. state with important mining capacity.

Mary Hutzler, a distinguished chap astatine the Institute for Energy Research, described the standard of the United States’ dependence connected Chinese mineral resources for its renewable vigor infrastructure, which dwarfs our past reliance connected overseas lipid earlier the United States achieved vigor independency nether President Trump.

“Our reliance connected China is astir 80 [percent] for these minerals close now, wherever the precocious for america successful 2001 connected lipid from the Middle East was 23 [percent],” she said. “We’re going to beryllium 4 times arsenic babelike connected China arsenic we were connected the Middle East.”

According to Hutzler, China’s competitory vantage successful mineral processing and refinement stems successful portion from its reliance connected inexpensive ember energy, which it is expected to expand.

Hutzler besides stated that biology permitting has stymied galore caller mining projects successful the United States, with the 2nd projected lithium excavation successful the United States, Nevada’s Thacker Pass, presently delayed by lawsuits.

In effect to questioning from Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Hutzler said that Europe’s contiguous reliance connected Chinese magnesium for automobile manufacturing offers a cautionary tale.

“With China’s crunch recently, they person closed 35 of their 50 magnesium plants. As a result, they are not exporting magnesium to Europe. Europe has lone stockpiles to spell done November. As a result, what’s going to hap is their automobile manufacture volition go a standstill industry. That could hap to america due to the fact that of our dependence connected China,” said Hutzler.

Tiffany was among those who focused connected the human rights abuses accepted by those who trust connected minerals mined oregon processed successful China.

He has introduced authorities aimed astatine preventing goods made with forced Uyghur labour from entering the U.S. market.

“We [Americans] are freedom-loving people. We bash not judge that the Uyghurs should beryllium enslaved,” helium said.

Rep. Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) asked Felter whether Chinese-mined oregon -processed minerals could beryllium expected to trust connected child labor, arsenic successful the mining operations successful the Democratic Republic of Congo.

“We shouldn’t expect thing antithetic from China than their way grounds suggests—and it’s a beauteous mediocre way record,” said Felter.

“When you’ve got these foreign-owned businesses tally by the authorities that don’t person the aforesaid labour requirements we do, don’t person the aforesaid wellness and information and biology requirements, really, the lone mode I spot you halt that is to penalize those imports coming into our country,” said Westerman.

Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) closed the forum by urging members to enactment his projected legislation, the Stopping Terrorist Mineral Trade Act, which would forestall the importation of minerals, oregon mineral-derived products, originating successful Afghanistan.

“I cognize that my colleagues astatine this forum privation this important taxable was thing we could attack connected a bipartisan basis, grounded successful factual discussions focused connected solutions. Unfortunately, our Democratic colleagues spot each American mining arsenic unnecessary, and are hellbent connected seeing that it doesn’t happen,” said Gosar.

“For immoderate reason, they ne'er tin spot the close excavation oregon the close spot successful America for mining,” helium added.