WTO claim a short-term solution to U.S. minerals supply shortage

In an editorial, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner called the Obama administration’s WTO trade complaint against Chinese mineral export restrictions “a short-term reaction that might produce a short-term solution,” arguing that the U.S. should seek a long-term solution by striving to maintain a domestic supply of rare earths. The editorial suggests that Alaska could play a key role in the solution, with a world-class deposit of rare earth minerals existing in the Bokan Mountain near Ketchikan.