On November 2, the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) sponsored a conference on Capitol Hill that explored the direct link between national security and the domestic rare earths supply. I was honored to be one of the speakers.

This conference brought together some of the top minds, experts in the field, from academia, think tanks, federal agencies, legislators and industry, to examine the national security threat posed by near exclusive (90-95%) reliance upon China for a variety of critical minerals. As most renewables are heavily dependent on rare earths, we may be trading the Oil Cartel for the Rare Earths Monopoly. We actually have rare earth deposits in the U.S. but access is confounded by government permitting and other factors (sound familiar?)

The conference was divided into three panels, a keynote speaker and then luncheon presentations by federal legislators with bills pending on the topic.

The first panel looked at the need for and uses of rare earths, problems with the supply, and the effect that increased demand for “green energy technologies” are contributing to shortages – and China is our only supplier.

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