218: Minerals are the New Oil Congressional Dish

Rare earth minerals are essential ingredients for many of the technologies that are important today and will be key in the future. In this episode, we learn about a new global economy being created around rare minerals and how the United States can catch up to the commanding lead that China has established in dominating the mineral dependent industries. Executive Producer: Coffee Infused Nerd  Executive Producer: David Dear Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links to contribute monthly or a lump sum via to support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send payments to: Send payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send payments to: $CongressionalDish or Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Episodes COVID-19 Testimony, The Brink of the Iran War, WTF is the Federal Reserve? The Democracies of Elliott Abrams, A Coup for Capitalism, Combating China,  National Endowment for Democracy, Target Venezuela: Regime Change, State of War, Combatting Russia (NDAA 2018), Sanctions: Russia, North Korea, and Iran, Bombing Libya, The World Trade Organization: COOL? : Secret International Regulations, What Do We Want In Ukraine?, The Free Market vs. US, Bill Outline We will analyze supply and demand of minerals to avoid supply shortages, mitigate price volatility, and prepare for demand growth We will map and develop domestic resources of minerals Speed up the permitting process for mineral mining and new mineral manufacturing facilities Invest in workforce training for mineral exploration and development Transfer technology and information in international cooperation agreements Recycle critical minerals Develop alternatives to critical minerals Within 4 years of the date the bill is signed into law, a “comprehensive national assessment of each critical mineral” must be completed which identifies known quantities of each mineral using public and private information and an assessment of undiscovered mineral resources in the U.S. The information will be given to the public electronically Orders reports to be done on expediting permitting The Secretary of Energy would be required to conduct a research and development program to promote production, use, and recycling of critical minerals and to develop alternatives to critical minerals that are not found in abundance in the United States. The Secretary of Labor will be given almost two years to complete an assessment of the Untied States workforce capable of operating a critical minerals management industry Creates a grant program where the Secretary of Labor will give “institutions of higher eduction” money for up to 10 years to create critical minerals management programs, and to help pay for student enrolled in those programs. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $5 million per year from 2020-2019 for that catalogs geologic and engineering data, maps, logs, and samples. This program was authorized at $30 million from 2006-2010. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $50 million for fiscal years 2020-2019. Requires the Secretary of Energy to create a program for developing “advanced separation technologies” for the extraction and recovery of rare earth elements and minerals from coal. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $23 million per year for 2020-2027. Articles/Documents Article: By David Dayen, The American Prospect, July 28, 2020 Article: By Ernest Scheyder, The Atlantic, July 25, 2020 Article: By By Shashank Bengali, Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2020 Article: By Ernest Scheyder, Reuters, July 21, 2020 Article: By Matthew Johnston, Investopedia, June 25, 2019 Article: by Hallie Gu and Dominique Patton, Reuters, May 13, 2020 Article: by Audrey Cher, CNBC, April 13, 2020 Article: by James Marshall, E&E News, April 27, 2020 Article: by Michael Sheetz,