Washington: a bipartisan legislation to be introduced in US Senate Will force defense contractors on Friday to stop buying rare earths from China and using it by 2026 pentagon To create a sustainable stockpile of strategic minerals.
bill sponsored by senators tom cottonan Arkansas Republican, and mark kellyan Arizona Democrat, is the latest in a string of US legislation seeking to thwart China’s close control of the region.
It essentially uses the Pentagon’s purchases of fighter jets, missiles and other weapons worth billions of dollars to help contractors stop relying on China and, by extension, support the revival of US Rare Earth production .
Rare earths are a group of 17 metals that, after processing, are used to make magnets found in electric vehicles, weapons, and electronics. While the United States built up the industry in World War II and American military scientists developed the most widely used type of rare earth magnet, China gradually evolved over the past 30 years to control the entire field. Has happened.
There is only one rare earth mine in the United States and no capacity to process rare earth minerals.
“Ending US dependence on China for the extraction and processing of rare clays is critical to building up US defense and technology sectors,” Cotton told Reuters.
The senator, who sits on the Senate Armed Forces and Intelligence Committees, described China’s development as the leader of the global rare earths as “only a policy choice that the United States has made”, adding that he expects new policies. Beijing will loosen its grip.
Known as the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earth Act of 2022, the bill would codify and make permanent the Pentagon’s ongoing stockpile of materials. China temporarily blocked exports of rare earths to Japan in 2010 and issued vague threats that it might do the same to the United States.
However, to build up that reserve, the Pentagon buys supplies from China, a contradiction that Senate staff hope will dissipate over time.
The rare earth production process can be highly polluting, which is why it became unpopular in the United States. The ongoing research is trying to make the process cleaner.
Cotton said he has spoken to various US executive agencies about the bill, but declined to say whether he had spoken with the president. Joe Biden Or the White House.
“This is one area in which the Congress will take the lead as many members regardless of the party are concerned about this subject,” he said.
encourage domestic production
The bill, whose sponsors hope to be turned into Pentagon funding law later this year, provides no direct support for the nascent US rare earth sector.
Instead, the Pentagon requires contractors to stop using Chinese rare earths within four years, allowing exemptions only in rare situations. Defense contractors must immediately explain where they source the minerals.
Those requirements “should encourage more domestic (rare earth) development in our country,” Cotton said.
The Pentagon has given grants over the past two years to companies trying to restart US rare earth processing and magnet production, including MP Materials Corp., Linas Rare Earth Ltd of Australia, TDA Magnetics Inc. urban mining company
Kelly, a former astronaut and member of the Senate Armed Services and Energy Committees, said the bill should “strengthen America’s position as a global leader in technology by reducing our country’s reliance on adversaries like China for rare earth elements.” ”
The bill only applies to weapons, not other equipment purchased by the US military.
Additionally, the US Trade Representative would need to investigate whether China is distorting the rare earth market and recommend whether trade sanctions are needed.
Asked whether such a move could be seen as counterintuitive by Beijing, Cotton said: “I don’t think the answer to Chinese aggression or Chinese threats is to subject ourselves to Chinese threats.”
bill sponsored by senators tom cottonan Arkansas Republican, and mark kellyan Arizona Democrat, is the latest in a string of US legislation seeking to thwart China’s close control of the region.
It essentially uses the Pentagon’s purchases of fighter jets, missiles and other weapons worth billions of dollars to help contractors stop relying on China and, by extension, support the revival of US Rare Earth production .
Rare earths are a group of 17 metals that, after processing, are used to make magnets found in electric vehicles, weapons, and electronics. While the United States built up the industry in World War II and American military scientists developed the most widely used type of rare earth magnet, China gradually evolved over the past 30 years to control the entire field. Has happened.
There is only one rare earth mine in the United States and no capacity to process rare earth minerals.
“Ending US dependence on China for the extraction and processing of rare clays is critical to building up US defense and technology sectors,” Cotton told Reuters.
The senator, who sits on the Senate Armed Forces and Intelligence Committees, described China’s development as the leader of the global rare earths as “only a policy choice that the United States has made”, adding that he expects new policies. Beijing will loosen its grip.
Known as the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earth Act of 2022, the bill would codify and make permanent the Pentagon’s ongoing stockpile of materials. China temporarily blocked exports of rare earths to Japan in 2010 and issued vague threats that it might do the same to the United States.
However, to build up that reserve, the Pentagon buys supplies from China, a contradiction that Senate staff hope will dissipate over time.
The rare earth production process can be highly polluting, which is why it became unpopular in the United States. The ongoing research is trying to make the process cleaner.
Cotton said he has spoken to various US executive agencies about the bill, but declined to say whether he had spoken with the president. Joe Biden Or the White House.
“This is one area in which the Congress will take the lead as many members regardless of the party are concerned about this subject,” he said.
encourage domestic production
The bill, whose sponsors hope to be turned into Pentagon funding law later this year, provides no direct support for the nascent US rare earth sector.
Instead, the Pentagon requires contractors to stop using Chinese rare earths within four years, allowing exemptions only in rare situations. Defense contractors must immediately explain where they source the minerals.
Those requirements “should encourage more domestic (rare earth) development in our country,” Cotton said.
The Pentagon has given grants over the past two years to companies trying to restart US rare earth processing and magnet production, including MP Materials Corp., Linas Rare Earth Ltd of Australia, TDA Magnetics Inc. urban mining company
Kelly, a former astronaut and member of the Senate Armed Services and Energy Committees, said the bill should “strengthen America’s position as a global leader in technology by reducing our country’s reliance on adversaries like China for rare earth elements.” ”
The bill only applies to weapons, not other equipment purchased by the US military.
Additionally, the US Trade Representative would need to investigate whether China is distorting the rare earth market and recommend whether trade sanctions are needed.
Asked whether such a move could be seen as counterintuitive by Beijing, Cotton said: “I don’t think the answer to Chinese aggression or Chinese threats is to subject ourselves to Chinese threats.”
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