The New York Times published a piece on April 14th entitled “China’s Halt of Critical Minerals Poses Risk for U.S. Military Programs,” in which they breathlessly reported that “the Pentagon and defense contractors are heavily reliant on … rare earth minerals” which are “present in almost every form of American defense technology.” Additionally, “China’s decision to retaliate against President Trump’s sharp increase in tariffs… is a warning shot across the bow of American national security….
Gosh, sounds serious, huh?
Rare earths are a group of 17 elements, including neodymium, yttrium, scandium and dysprosium, that are difficult to separate into usable forms. They are not actually rare at all but can be difficult to extract from the earth, and the process of mining and refining them into usable form carries substantial environmental costs.
Aaaaand there it is. Didja catch it? “Mining and refining them into usable form carries substantial environmental costs [emphasis added].” That’s why we are so reliant on China for them. America’s greenies have all but crippled America’s rare earth mining, despite E.O.s from Trump’s first term and even Biden’s single term. Now, why would Biden sign such an E.O.? Because all that green technology needs them too. Solar panels, etc.
So let’s just pause for a moment and really take this all in, because we extrapolate, unlike the left. We actually think things through, which is why we can see none of this makes any sense.
The American left wants to be the king of all things green, but lefty-greenies have deemed the rare earths we need to manufacture all things green too dirty to mine domestically. Now, as a result, China mines darned near 100% of the entire world supply of rare earths. They don’t have an E.P.A. and frankly, don’t care. (Neither, evidently, do the greenies. Out of sight, out of mind.) So — go with me here — in order to not be reliant on dirty foreign oil we have to be reliant on dirty foreign rare earths. A sensible person might observe that we are simply “recycling” the problem; trading one “dirty” energy (oil) for another (rare earths), but now with a green imprimatur. In short: it’s basically a net-net in terms of “dirt” for the planet, but they, the left, get to feel better about themselves.
Told you it was stupid.
Take some solace. We weren’t always this stupid.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the United States was the leader in global production of rare earths. Since that time, production of the world’s supply of rare earths has shifted almost entirely to China, in part due to lower labor costs and lower environmental standards. China produces about 97% of rare earth oxides….
And the New York Times wasn’t always so breathless. When China stiffed us on rare earths during Obama’s first term, The New York Times breathed calmly in and out, hoping to score invites to the State Dinner held in then-President Hu’s honor. Obama was, as usual, embarrassing us with his weakness. In a joint presser with then-President Hu hours before the dinner, Obama said he was mindful of “the multiple areas in which we have to cooperate (with China) not only for the sakes of our countries but also for the sake of the world….” And that’s precisely what he did. He feted them with his standard issue Obama “foreign policy,” which was to believe he could smooth-talk his way into whatever it was he wanted, which, as was typical for him, ended up not only failing but spectacularly backfiring. The State Dinner was in January 2011. By December of that year Beijing was “grouchy” with Obama then, only weeks later, was telling its Navy to prepare for war. Obama styled himself America’s first “Pacific president” and, well, you can see how well that worked out.
Understand the environment Obama was operating in when he held this dinner:
In July 2010, the China Ministry of Commerce announced that China would cut its exports of rare earth minerals by 72%. In September 2010, China temporarily cut rare earth exports to Japan apparently over a maritime dispute. This dispute highlighted the potential for disruption of the world’s supply of rare earth minerals. For 2011, it appears that China has cut exports further and raised export tariffs for rare earths.
If Obama thought cocktails and dancing was going to get him his rare earths, he was seriously mistaken. Just as any kind of charm offensive now with President Xi. It won’t work. And we’re well behind the eight ball. Hell’s bells, even the commie rag The New Republic sees it. Thirty years ago,
China saw these materials as foundational to its high-tech ambitions—from EVs and wind turbines, to missile guidance systems and MRIs. So, it invested tremendous time and capital… At the same time, the West saw metal making as a dirty industry, ripe for outsourcing. …We ended up gutting the industry.
The U.S. once spoke the language of mining and metallurgy. Now we can barely understand it. … China, meanwhile, speaks this language fluently—helped by nearly 40 universities specializing in extractive metallurgy and another 40 in mineral processing. In the U.S., that number is zero.
Before Linda McMahon shutters the Department of Education entirely, maybe she could incentivize metallurgy as a major.
Fewer than 700 students in the U.S. are enrolled in mining-related fields today. That’s not a pipeline—it’s a warning. We need new programs, new professors, and global experts teaching the next generation how to extract, refine, and process the materials that power modern economies.
Of course, The New Republic wants our federal tax dollars to “invest” in a new metallurgical renaissance, but we know better. Show these kids there’s beaucoup bucks to be made being the smartest metal-head in the room, and the market will take care of it. We need to get serious about this. China ain’t playing. We simply have to mine our own — again. Happily, we have a president willing to do just that.
American Thinker
Jesus Christ is King
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