The US is more reliant than ever for the minerals that it needs for its manufacturing, technology, energy, transportation, infrastructure and defence sectors and it is time for the country to “walk the talk” on minerals security, says the National Mining Association (NMA).
Commenting on the US Geological Survey’s (USGS’s) Mineral Commodities Summaries report, published last week, NMA executive VP and COO Katie Sweeney says that the US is stumbling when it comes to supply chains.
“We have never been more dependent on China and others for the minerals that are absolutely essential to modern life, and with each new announcement of a blocked mine or a foreign sourcing agreement with countries that have questionable labor practices, we are locking in our position of competitive weakness,” she says.
The USGS report shows that, in 2022, imports made up more than one half of the US apparent consumption for 51 nonfuel mineral commodities and that the country was 100% net import reliant for 15 of those.
Underscoring the vulnerability of US mineral supply chains, the NMA points out that China was the leading source of mineral commodities with a greater than 50% import reliance, providing 26, with significant imports of essential commodities also coming from Russia.
Further, of the 50 mineral commodities identified in the 2022 final list of critical minerals, the US was 100% net import reliant for 12, and an additional 31 critical mineral commodities, including 14 lanthanides, which are listed under rare earth, had a net import reliance greater than 50% of apparent consumption.