Domestic minerals could mitigate U.S. supply, security risks

By Minerals Make Life on March 20, 2012 in Security, Policy

In an opinion piece to the Billings Gazette, Dr. Courtney Young, head of the Metallurgical & Materials Engineering Department at Montana Tech, discusses how U.S. resources could be used to supply manufacturers with the rare earth elements (REE) they need, helping bolster national security as a result.

“Legislation is pending in Congress that would help facilitate REE mining,” said Young. “The United States has an estimated 13 percent of the world’s REE mineral reserves with most on government land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. A study shows that North American REE deposits could yield up to 40,000 metric tons a year, which doubles the amount consumed today and is enough to allow American self-sufficiency.”

Read the full opinion piece here.