Rare Earth Elements Effect National Defense & Environoment

This is little in the weeds but something we should all be aware of given national security is at stake. With out understanding, we are at risk of making decisions that will be detrimental to our country, especially this November.

 Rare Earths: Implications for National Defense, the Economy and the Environment

NCPA hosted a Capitol Hill briefing on September 26 to educate key Congressional staff about rare earth elements and the implications for national defense, the economy and the environment.  The briefing featured a panel of experts, including Kevin Cassidy, CEO of U.S. Rare Earths.  NCPA released two publications at the briefing: Critical Minerals: Rare Earths and the U.S. Economy and The Potential of Thorium for Safer, Cleaner and Cheaper Energy. 

Rare earths and rare earth mining are critically important to modern life. Rare earth elements are mixed diffusely with other minerals, requiring technical and complicated procedures to separate and process the elements. Contrary to their name, rare earths are found almost everywhere, but in very small quantities. It becomes economically viable to mine for rare earths when they are discovered in high concentrations, or when they are byproducts of other mining activities.

Rare earths provide critical components for a wide variety of products from iPhones to computers, medical CAT scans, defense systems, wind turbines and more. The United States currently imports about 90 percent of its rare earths from China. However, domestic production of rare earths can be expanded, adding jobs to the economy and revenues to state budgets.

 

Rare earths are represented on the periodic table as elemental symbols. Each element has different properties important for various industrial uses. For example, Yttrium (Y) is used in most modern flat-screen TVs to project a rich red color on the display. And Neodymium (Nd) is used to produce strong magnets with a variety of applications, including national defense systems.
China's dominance in the rare earths market has been used as a weapon during international disputes.  In 2010, a Chinese trawler collided with a Japanese coast guard boat.  In retaliation, China banned rare earth exports to Japan.  A similar Chinese reaction could be forthcoming in the brewing dispute over the Senkaku islands. 

 

NCPA is exploring free-market ideas that would create a domestic supply chain of rare earth elements in the United States, which would reduce our reliance on China and other foreign suppliers of rare earths.  We have published various research studies that explore the barriers to rare earths mining, the reliance on China and other foreign sources, and the resulting implications of not having a robust rare earths mining, refining and processing capability in the United States.  Here are a few of our publications:

Rare Earths Mining Potential in the United States
The Defense Implications of Rare Earths Shortages
Finding Sources of Rare Earths Beyond China
Will Green Energy Make the United States Less Secure?
The Potential of Thorium for Safer, Cleaner and Cheaper Energy
Critical Minerals: Rare Earths and the U.S. Economy

For more information about NCPA's efforts, visit our Rare Earths and Critical Metals page.

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