Biden admin blocks mineral mining on 225000 acres of land
(The Center Square) – President Joe Biden’s administration says electric vehicle adoption is key to curbing climate change but blocked mining of rare earth minerals on more than 225,000 acres of federal land for more than 20 years.
The Biden administration banned mining near the Boundary Waters on the Duluth Complex in Minnesota, which Twin Metals says contains 95% of the nation’s nickel reserves; 88% of the cobalt; 51% of the platinum; 48% of the palladium, and 34% of the nation’s copper.
Those rare earth minerals are vital for electric vehicle production and lithium-ion batteries. Without domestic rare earth mineral mining, the nation must rely on countries with few labor or environmental laws, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, where 75% of the supply of cobalt is mined to make lithium-ion batteries and EVs.
By now you probably know where this is headed. But we are not done. Nevada last week.
Biden blocks mineral mining his clean-energy goals require
The federal government owns huge chunks of America’s West, home to critical minerals like lithium essential to technologies like electric-vehicle batteries — yet Biden blocks their development beneath federal lands.
Biden banned access Tuesday to nearly 514,000 acres of public lands, including adding a new national park in Nevada just for good measure.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo says Biden failed to consult him before this designation, though the Silver State contains massive lithium deposits.
But I have a surprise ending… thar is money in shutting down our own mining..
U.S. offers cash to Canadian critical minerals projects …
The U.S. is desperate to reduce its reliance on its adversary for materials needed to power electric vehicles, electronics and many other products, and has set aside hundreds of millions of dollars under a program called the Defence Production Act.
Which Canadian companies? The leaders didn’t say. Canadian officials have provided the U.S. with a list of at least 70 projects that could warrant U.S. funding.
Biden also said Canadian semiconductor projects would be eligible for access to another Defence Production Act program.
The Pentagon already has told Canadian companies they would be eligible to apply. It has said the cash would arrive as grants, not loans.
On Friday, before Biden left Ottawa, he promised they’ll get some.
“Our nations are blessed with incredible natural resources,” Biden told Canadian parliamentarians during his speech in the House of Commons.
“Canada in particular has large quantities of critical minerals that are essential for our clean energy future, for the world’s clean energy future.
“And I believe we have an incredible opportunity to work together so Canada and the United States can source and supply here in North America everything we need for reliable and resilient supply chains.”
Better yet?
Biden Smuggles Corporate Green Welfare Scheme …
WASHINGTON, DC – Without any notice to the American public, the Biden Administration announced today they have entered into a critical minerals agreement with Japan that would send tax dollars to foreign corporations that produce electric vehicles (EVs) and open the door to future payouts to other countries.
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) issued the following statement:
“The Biden Administration is clearly happy to hand out U.S. taxpayer dollars to foreign nations and risk American jobs solely to advance its radical ‘green’ energy agenda. This so-called ‘free trade agreement’ with Japan does nothing to shift critical mineral supply chains away from China. Equally shameful is the fact that the Biden Administration is distorting the plain text of U.S. law to write as many green corporate welfare checks as possible.
The Administration has not been transparent with the American people and has ignored major concerns raised by Congress, including failing to provide an analysis of the effects this agreement would have on American workers. Rather than rushing to complete legally dubious agreements at the behest of lobbying campaigns by foreign governments, the Biden Administration should work with Congress to develop meaningful trade policies that improve the lives and livelihoods of America’s working families.”
The last hearing I caught of her, she got notes from the gal sitting next to her. With this camera angle, no luck this time.
For more displays of her knowledge base from an earlier post.
Manchin Attacks Interior Sec Haaland in Energy Hearing: ‘It shuts Everything Down!
May 20, 2022 – more good stuff at the post but this gets us off the ground.
Interior Sec. Haaland Confronted On Anti-Energy Memo Released During Hearing: “This Shuts It Down” Manchin rocks-
The law required her to announce new oil leases by June 30, here is how it went.
The best of the swamp. Here are a a few more blocked earlier…
Earlier I posted in May:
EPA Blocks Critical Major Mining Mineral Project
Within a week of the memo shutting down Oil and Gas Leases, the Federal government moves to shut down the Pebble Mining Project in Alaska of the very minerals that Biden just proclaimed essential under the Defense Emergency Production Act. Its location is in a 24,000 sq mile area in Alaska. Largely undeveloped.
Copper and molybdenum for green energy technology like electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels. Gold. Not for us. Possibly one of the largest mines in the world.
Ioneer Ltd.’s lithium mine in Nevada, which could supply 22,000 metric tons of lithium annually—enough for about 400,000 electric cars, is being held captive by environmentalists, who claim the mine threatens Tiehm’s buckwheat, a rare flowering plant. The Trump Interior Department had refuted that after an extensive analysis, indicating that the culprit of the buckwheat was hungry squirrels.
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The Resolution copper mine in Oak Flat, Arizona, which can meet about 25 percent of U.S. copper demand, is currently under federal environmental review. In September 2021, the House Natural Resources committee voted to include language in the reconciliation package to block the building of the Resolution copper mine.
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Recently, regulators suspended a right-of-way for a road in Alaska, previously granted by the Trump administration, which provided access to one of the world’s largest mineral deposits including zinc and copper.
U.S. President Joe Biden will rely on ally countries to supply the bulk of the metals needed to build electric vehicles and focus on processing them domestically into battery parts, part of a strategy designed to placate environmentalists, two administration officials with direct knowledge told Reuters.
BUNKERVILLE | God, Guns and Guts Comrades! 