Kamala Harris doesn’t just want to build more factories in the US if elected president. She also wants to help secure steady supplies of materials to fuel them.
A recent promise that embodies this approach is her proposed establishment of a “national reserve” of [critical minerals](https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals) such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel — the crucial building blocks in everything from electric vehicle batteries to jet engines to medical devices.
dormidormit on
Outsourcing failed. We’ve known this since the 40s when most raw minerals started to be replaced wtih foreign substitutes. It’s why the California Mother Lode boom popped hard, and couldn’t recover despite Uranium speculation. Now we don’t even have a stable Uranium supply for our weapons. We need to change, heavy industrial and machine work must be protected. Mining and, conversely, materials recycling is the most intensive effort at this. The actual materials are only half the equation here – the other half are the railroads, barges, machinery, and laborers actually required to do these jobs in rural Nevada, Alabama, Tennessee and New Mexico. Banks refuse to pay for this or lend capital for it, the government must do the job itself at cost.
NebulousNitrate on
Is this the same type of reserve the Harris/Biden administration and the few before it have been drawing down via sales for years?
gdazInSeattle on
This makes sense. Many of these minerals are a relatively small part of semiconductor products, but they’re necessary (i.e., without them nothing works). It makes sense to strategically hold some in reserve. What we reserve needs to be planned and executed thoughtfully. Harris strikes me as someone who can be thoughtful (and is competent). The other guy running for president, not so much.
WeCanHearYouAllNight on
Whatever helps Elon Musk keep going, I’m on board.
Panda_tears on
just like the strategic oil reserves we refuse to fully replenish, k…
cinmay2000 on
Or we could focus a little energy on diplomacy rather than bombing people in order to create a world were global trade flows freely.
Adelinedissolute on
National reserves play a vital role in economic stability.
GreyBeardEng on
Not a bad idea.
CaveRanger on
So, we gonna keep what’s left of the helium reserve, or just continue letting that vital resource drift off into private hands?
oced2001 on
I have a strategic weed reserve. I take a nugg out of every 1/4 and put in a jar.
RaisinBrain2Scoups on
Cares more for minerals than destroyed southeastern states
DerSchattenJager on
So, we require more minerals?
kckroosian on
Good idea. Maybe a strategic petroleum reserve? Oh wait, it got wasted playing politics.
It is a good idea to have such reserves but our politicians too greedy/stupid to make it work.
JonJackjon on
Consider that **China**Â has consistently been the largest producer of rare earths, and its 2023 production made up 240,000 MT of the world’s 350,000 MT and neodymium is required for every brushless DC motor (ev vehicles, electric tools, etc) So we are relying on China for much of our production of these types of motors.
And because China has little to no environment rules the neodymium magnets can be made cheaply (at the expense of the environment).
Also know that any “reserve” is limited and will eventually run out.
wrektalfire on
Might as well add toilet paper to our national reserve while we’re at it.
ExtraLargePeePuddle on
There’s an issue trying to mine in the U.S…..who else on this planet will buy these minerals? Why buy US overpriced minerals when you can just buy elsewhere.
If you force American firms to buy them….well you just doomed those companies in terms of international competition
17 Comments
Excerpt:
Kamala Harris doesn’t just want to build more factories in the US if elected president. She also wants to help secure steady supplies of materials to fuel them.
A recent promise that embodies this approach is her proposed establishment of a “national reserve” of [critical minerals](https://www.energy.gov/cmm/what-are-critical-materials-and-critical-minerals) such as cobalt, lithium, and nickel — the crucial building blocks in everything from electric vehicle batteries to jet engines to medical devices.
Outsourcing failed. We’ve known this since the 40s when most raw minerals started to be replaced wtih foreign substitutes. It’s why the California Mother Lode boom popped hard, and couldn’t recover despite Uranium speculation. Now we don’t even have a stable Uranium supply for our weapons. We need to change, heavy industrial and machine work must be protected. Mining and, conversely, materials recycling is the most intensive effort at this. The actual materials are only half the equation here – the other half are the railroads, barges, machinery, and laborers actually required to do these jobs in rural Nevada, Alabama, Tennessee and New Mexico. Banks refuse to pay for this or lend capital for it, the government must do the job itself at cost.
Is this the same type of reserve the Harris/Biden administration and the few before it have been drawing down via sales for years?
This makes sense. Many of these minerals are a relatively small part of semiconductor products, but they’re necessary (i.e., without them nothing works). It makes sense to strategically hold some in reserve. What we reserve needs to be planned and executed thoughtfully. Harris strikes me as someone who can be thoughtful (and is competent). The other guy running for president, not so much.
Whatever helps Elon Musk keep going, I’m on board.
just like the strategic oil reserves we refuse to fully replenish, k…
Or we could focus a little energy on diplomacy rather than bombing people in order to create a world were global trade flows freely.
National reserves play a vital role in economic stability.
Not a bad idea.
So, we gonna keep what’s left of the helium reserve, or just continue letting that vital resource drift off into private hands?
I have a strategic weed reserve. I take a nugg out of every 1/4 and put in a jar.
Cares more for minerals than destroyed southeastern states
So, we require more minerals?
Good idea. Maybe a strategic petroleum reserve? Oh wait, it got wasted playing politics.
It is a good idea to have such reserves but our politicians too greedy/stupid to make it work.
Consider that **China**Â has consistently been the largest producer of rare earths, and its 2023 production made up 240,000 MT of the world’s 350,000 MT and neodymium is required for every brushless DC motor (ev vehicles, electric tools, etc) So we are relying on China for much of our production of these types of motors.
And because China has little to no environment rules the neodymium magnets can be made cheaply (at the expense of the environment).
Also know that any “reserve” is limited and will eventually run out.
Might as well add toilet paper to our national reserve while we’re at it.
There’s an issue trying to mine in the U.S…..who else on this planet will buy these minerals? Why buy US overpriced minerals when you can just buy elsewhere.
If you force American firms to buy them….well you just doomed those companies in terms of international competition