Consumer electronics industry drives demand for domestic minerals

As electronic devices like smartphones and televisions become more sophisticated, the demand for rare earth and other minerals is on the rise, National Mining Association (NMA) spokeswoman Carol Raulston recently told Consumer Electronics Daily, the premier trade publication of the consumer electronics industry. As a result, NMA has put a more efficient, expedited permitting process for rare earth minerals mining at the top of its “mission-critical list,” journalist Rebecca Day reports.

“[Minerals are] the beginning of the supply chain for so many products manufactured in the U.S., but because of an inefficient permitting system in this country it takes three to four times longer to get a permit here than it does in Canada or Australia or other countries around the world.”

The United States’ lack of a forward-looking minerals policy means “the U.S. is only meeting half of its domestic manufacturing needs for metals and minerals,” Raulston said. This is a serious concern to U.S. manufacturers across several industries including consumer electronics, aerospace and medical equipment.

Read the full interview from Consumer Electronics Daily below (Reproduced with the permission of Warren Communications News, Inc., 800-771-9202, www.warren-news.com)