Americans are starting to see the results of the bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by President Biden in 2021. Federal projects are now upgrading America’s transit systems and power grids, including a proliferation of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations. However, there’s a catch. All of these renewable technologies have spurred massive demand for key minerals and metals. But right now, global supplies of these resources are dominated by America’s rivals.
The International Energy Agency estimates that demand for key minerals — such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel — will grow 4,000% by 2040. However, the U.S. is falling woefully behind in the race to gather enough supplies. In fact, America’s reliance on imported minerals just hit another record, with China the largest supplier of these crucial building blocks.
Stumbo fear mongering about child labor in other countries? Has he been there ?
Or is he lobbying for mining companies here ? Profiteering?
I’ve always heard that the population was proliferating in China and other places - that sounds like they all must be feeling pretty good , if you know what I mean .
Use their minerals - save ours minerals for a rainy day ? We can buy it cheaper than mining our own? That’s what many think .
You can buy the cotton shirt on your back cheaper than growing your own cotton, weaving it into cloth ,dyeing it , cutting the cloth into patterns and sewing it together?
As a farmer ,I’m aware that growing my own produce on my own land ,for the Farmers Market is better than buying it from far away to retail. But that’s food not minerals or cotton shirts .
New battery technologies are coming online most every day now. The industry is in its infancy, but we are seeing rabbit chains. What hasn’t changed is the urgent need to stop burning fossil fuels. It’s killing us! I’m still waiting to hear a single Republican candidate admit to that!
We apparently haven't been watching Sixty Minutes lately. I refer to very recent segments on the Lithium mining plans for the Salton Sea area, and Conoco's investment in CO2 capture, all of which cleanly generate electricity in the process. These were, and are, made doable by the Infrastructure tax credits.
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Stumbo fear mongering about child labor in other countries? Has he been there ?
Or is he lobbying for mining companies here ? Profiteering?
I’ve always heard that the population was proliferating in China and other places - that sounds like they all must be feeling pretty good , if you know what I mean .
Use their minerals - save ours minerals for a rainy day ? We can buy it cheaper than mining our own? That’s what many think .
You can buy the cotton shirt on your back cheaper than growing your own cotton, weaving it into cloth ,dyeing it , cutting the cloth into patterns and sewing it together?
As a farmer ,I’m aware that growing my own produce on my own land ,for the Farmers Market is better than buying it from far away to retail. But that’s food not minerals or cotton shirts .
New battery technologies are coming online most every day now. The industry is in its infancy, but we are seeing rabbit chains. What hasn’t changed is the urgent need to stop burning fossil fuels. It’s killing us! I’m still waiting to hear a single Republican candidate admit to that!
“ The industry is in its infancy, but we are seeing rabbit chains.”
Ha, ha! Sometimes auto correct (AI) is the new “out of the mouths of babes”!
We apparently haven't been watching Sixty Minutes lately. I refer to very recent segments on the Lithium mining plans for the Salton Sea area, and Conoco's investment in CO2 capture, all of which cleanly generate electricity in the process. These were, and are, made doable by the Infrastructure tax credits.
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State-Journal.com’s comments forum is for civil, constructive dialogue about news topics in our community, state, nation and world. We emphasize “civil” at a time when Americans, in the words of the current president, need to “turn down the temperature” of political debates. The State Journal will do its part by more carefully policing this forum. Here are some rules that all commenters must agree to follow:
Absolutely no attacks on other commenters, on guest columnists or on authors of letters to the editor. Our print and online opinion pages are sacred marketplaces of ideas where diverse viewpoints are welcome without fear of retribution. You may constructively critique the ideas and opinions of others, but name-calling, stereotyping and similar attacks are strictly prohibited.
Leeway will be given for criticism of elected officials and other public figures, but civility is essential. If you focus your criticism on ideas, opinions and viewpoints, you will be less likely to run afoul of our commenting rules.
Keep comments focused on the article or commentary in question. Don’t use an article about the Frankfort City Commission, for example, to rant about national politics.
Hyperpartisanship that suggests anyone on the other side of an issue or anyone in a particular particular party is evil is not welcome. If you believe that all Democrats are socialists intent on destroying America or that all Republicans are racists, there are lots of places on the internet for you to espouse those views. State-Journal.com is not one.
No sophomoric banter. This isn’t a third-grade classroom but rather a place for serious consumers of news to offer their reactions and opinions on news stories and published commentary.
No consumer complaints about individual businesses. If you’ve had a bad experience with a private business or organization, contact the Better Business Bureau or the government agency that regulates that business. If you believe the actions of a private business are newsworthy, contact us at news@state-journal.com and we will consider whether news coverage is merited.
Absolutely no jokes or comments about a person’s physical appearance.
No promotion of commercial goods or services. Our outstanding staff of marketing consultants stands ready to help businesses with effective advertising solutions.
If you state facts that have not been previously reported by The State Journal, be sure to include the source of your information.
No attacks on State Journal staff members or contributing writers. We welcome questions about, and criticism of, our news stories and commentary but not of the writers who work tirelessly to keep their community informed. Corrections of inaccurate information in news stories should be sent to news@state-journal.com rather than posted in the comments section.