senate Bill S. 1317
Should the U.S. Develop a Comprehensive Plan for Reducing its Dependence on Foreign Rare Earth Minerals?
Argument in favor
Steadily declining domestic production of rare minerals costs American jobs, undermines economic competitiveness, leaves the U.S. at a geopolitical disadvantage, and exposes a range of industries to the whims of the global critical minerals market. By supporting a domestic supply, this bill would help address this problem.
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06/05/2019
Yes, if possible. Rare earths are key to most modern electronic systems. If alternatives can be developed, it would certainly be beneficial on many levels. Our country fell asleep while China gobbled up the global mining rights to rare earths and now has almost complete control of the market.
09/12/2019
Steadily declining domestic production of rare minerals costs American jobs, undermines economic competitiveness, leaves the U.S. at a geopolitical disadvantage, and exposes a range of industries to the whims of the global critical minerals market. By supporting a domestic supply, this bill would help address this problem.
09/12/2019
Bartering is equally as important as self-sufficiency. America should develop an extremely thought out and comprehensive plan to mine ethically, sustainably, trade, everything in moderation, and prosper.
Argument opposed
Fears about the risks associated with the U.S. economy’s reliance on imported minerals are overblown. It’s unlikely that China will cut off rare earth elements exports to the U.S. — and even if it does, the market will step in to fill the gap quickly enough to keep U.S. businesses supplied with the minerals they need.
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09/12/2019
What they really mean is they want to get a green light to sell drilling, mining, and logging rights of national protected land to companies to get those products under ground. Even if it has a high chance or ruining waterways, tainting water sources, destroying preserved land, pushing some protected or beloved species toward or into extinction, destroying destinations of tourism, tainting air quality, ruining land by poisons of byproducts, and other such industry bad neighbor behavior done in the name of profits. Oil companies have been fussing for years over protections of the sage grouse because they want the products under it. So do other industry minded people who don’t give a damn about anything or anybody but their bottom line and profit margin. This is not about the American worker. Americans tend to require more money to work and ask such accommodations as worker safety protections that some other countries don’t have to deal with in such scale. This is just a cover to steal public recourses on protected public land for the industry. If the industry actually cared about the American worker then they would actually pay them a halfway decent wage that is not several degrees of power less then their CEOs.
09/13/2019
Abby nailed it. “What they really mean is they want to get a green light to sell drilling, mining, and logging rights of national protected land to companies to get those products under ground. Even if it has a high chance or ruining waterways, tainting water sources, destroying preserved land, pushing some protected or beloved species toward or into extinction, destroying destinations of tourism, tainting air quality, ruining land by poisons of byproducts, and other such industry bad neighbor behavior done in the name of profits. Oil companies have been fussing for years over protections of the sage grouse because they want the products under it. So do other industry minded people who don’t give a damn about anything or anybody but their bottom line and profit margin. This is not about the American worker. Americans tend to require more money to work and ask such accommodations as worker safety protections that some other countries don’t have to deal with in such scale. This is just a cover to steal public recourses on protected public land for the industry. If the industry actually cared about the American worker then they would actually pay them a halfway decent wage that is not several degrees of power less then their CEOs.” I would add that there was promising research being done on alternatives to Rare Earth Minerals, but the funding was cut by (guess who) Republicans.
09/12/2019
Too vague, shouldn’t allow a cart blanc rape with an executive order of lands that are protected.
Yes, if possible. Rare earths are key to most modern electronic systems. If alternatives can be developed, it would certainly be beneficial on many levels. Our country fell asleep while China gobbled up the global mining rights to rare earths and now has almost complete control of the market.
What they really mean is they want to get a green light to sell drilling, mining, and logging rights of national protected land to companies to get those products under ground. Even if it has a high chance or ruining waterways, tainting water sources, destroying preserved land, pushing some protected or beloved species toward or into extinction, destroying destinations of tourism, tainting air quality, ruining land by poisons of byproducts, and other such industry bad neighbor behavior done in the name of profits. Oil companies have been fussing for years over protections of the sage grouse because they want the products under it. So do other industry minded people who don’t give a damn about anything or anybody but their bottom line and profit margin. This is not about the American worker. Americans tend to require more money to work and ask such accommodations as worker safety protections that some other countries don’t have to deal with in such scale. This is just a cover to steal public recourses on protected public land for the industry. If the industry actually cared about the American worker then they would actually pay them a halfway decent wage that is not several degrees of power less then their CEOs.
Steadily declining domestic production of rare minerals costs American jobs, undermines economic competitiveness, leaves the U.S. at a geopolitical disadvantage, and exposes a range of industries to the whims of the global critical minerals market. By supporting a domestic supply, this bill would help address this problem.
Abby nailed it. “What they really mean is they want to get a green light to sell drilling, mining, and logging rights of national protected land to companies to get those products under ground. Even if it has a high chance or ruining waterways, tainting water sources, destroying preserved land, pushing some protected or beloved species toward or into extinction, destroying destinations of tourism, tainting air quality, ruining land by poisons of byproducts, and other such industry bad neighbor behavior done in the name of profits. Oil companies have been fussing for years over protections of the sage grouse because they want the products under it. So do other industry minded people who don’t give a damn about anything or anybody but their bottom line and profit margin. This is not about the American worker. Americans tend to require more money to work and ask such accommodations as worker safety protections that some other countries don’t have to deal with in such scale. This is just a cover to steal public recourses on protected public land for the industry. If the industry actually cared about the American worker then they would actually pay them a halfway decent wage that is not several degrees of power less then their CEOs.” I would add that there was promising research being done on alternatives to Rare Earth Minerals, but the funding was cut by (guess who) Republicans.
Bartering is equally as important as self-sufficiency. America should develop an extremely thought out and comprehensive plan to mine ethically, sustainably, trade, everything in moderation, and prosper.
Please support Senate Bill S.1317 and any bill similar to this should it come to fruition in the House of Representatives. We as Americans utilize our domestic resources carefully and responsibly. We can become self-sustaining in rare earth minerals thus placing us in a better position economically, technologically, militarily and of course environmentally. By continuing to import the bulk of rare earth minerals utilized, we are contributing to the destruction of the global environment since nations such as China, India, Malaysia and Russia do not care how much damage is done when extracting them. Securing our own domestic sources is both the intelligent and environmentally responsible thing to do.
Too vague, shouldn’t allow a cart blanc rape with an executive order of lands that are protected.
How about we recycle as a matter of principle all those items that have them in them for starters! We are the third biggest producer of rare earth metals behind China and Australia. All that needs to be done is swinging mining to actually retrieve these. Surely some coal miners could be retrained and mines repurposed to add this resource as something to be retrieved. What I fear this is though is murkouski simply trying to open up more of the ANWR or other national parks and turn them into a hole in the ground for the benefit of mining corporations and CEOs with the appropriate enriching of representatives who allow it.
More of these minerals need to be recycled rather than mined which will only destroy the beauty of our public lands!
Fat cat oil tycoons are again trying to sneak in the back door and steal out future by manufacturing a controversy.
The US should have a back-up plan for anything it depends on from other countries.
Our reliance on other countries for rare earth minerals is hardly an urgent issue. We have lots of more critical things to work on.
That and improve our foreign affairs (especially with our allies) by only voting for presidential candidates who are capable of carrying out the duties of the executive office (including what is outlined in our Constitution pertaining to foreign diplomacy).
But, I guess that would also depend on the DNC and RNC to select/endorse presidential candidates capable of carrying out the duties of the executive branch as outlined by our Constitution.
🤔Since neither is possible any time soon, perhaps, what we need to address 1st is our continued dependence on foreign countries for our recycling, which (thanks to Trump) is currently being dumped in our overflowing landfills. And not in ANY legislation sponsored by Lisa Murkowski.
I strongly oppose HR 1317!
Might as well call it the “The law that lets us rape the earth so we can have at the rare earth nuggets.”
Once again the title is Orwellian.
The bill is far from Comprehensive. It wants the ability to run over any and all health and environmental concerns. Any comprehensive plan for mining and production needs to include how that mining and production will impact the health and the environment of the impacted employees and communities. This bill is sorely lacking!
Heres an idea: Instead let's roll back Trump’s poorly considered tariffs.
(But put neccessary pressure on the other countries to do ethical mining and production.)
Shame on Murkowski et al for putting their name to this clearly pro-corporate bill!
Shame on Countable for using the deceptive title!
I ask my representatives to Vote No.
Another Republican attempt to justify selling our pristine public lands to the highest bidder.
Red flag! Red flag! If it’s coming from Lies-a, it’s got to involve raping the land. She was bought and paid for by big oil and mining years ago. So was her Daddy. She’s had plenty of experience at smoke and mirrors. She can lie with the best of them! BEWARE! She is so full of crap, she hasn’t been able to see straight for a long time - yet to the Ignorants, she can do no wrong.
We don’t have a choice unless we want to be held hostage to China who has been diligently buying mining rights to 96-97% of all rare earth metals.
Can't trust Republicans on this. This bill is just a green light for greed on our parks and lands.