WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US reliance on rare earths imports from China challenges US national security and the country’s further technological development, US Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a press release on Monday.
“Our foreign mineral dependence has taken its place as an insidious threat to America’s security, growth and competitiveness,” Murkowski said. “The United States was once self-sufficient in rare earth production, but in 2014 imported 59 percent of its supply. Roughly 75 percent of US imports came from China.”
Rare earths are crucial to manufacturing of modern devices ranging from smart phones and medical technologies to advanced defense systems.
The list of rare minerals imported from China to the United States includes scandium, germanium, magnesium compounds and graphite, among others, according to the release.
“Our foreign mineral dependence is a serious challenge, decades in the making, and we urgently need to reform federal policies all along the supply chain,” she underscored.
Murkowski, who chairs the US Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said she developed legislation to revamp our entire minerals supply chain — from permitting of new mines to establishing a forecasting capability and promoting alternatives and recycling.
