{"id":357910,"date":"2024-12-22T13:02:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-22T12:02:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=357910"},"modified":"2024-12-22T13:02:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-22T12:02:29","slug":"leveraging-the-defense-production-act-to-stockpile-minerals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=357910","title":{"rendered":"Leveraging the Defense Production Act to Stockpile Minerals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"723\" height=\"362\" data-attachment-id=\"357912\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?attachment_id=357912\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?fit=1600%2C800&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1600,800\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"0pentagon-building\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?fit=723%2C362&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=723%2C362&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-357912\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=1024%2C512&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=1536%2C768&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?resize=1200%2C600&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?w=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?w=1446&amp;ssl=1 1446w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 723px) 100vw, 723px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From <a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/2024\/12\/20\/leveraging-the-defense-production-act-to-stockpile-minerals\/\">Watts Up With That?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/authors\/gregory_wischer\/\">Gregory Wischer<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/authors\/morgan_bazilian\/\">Morgan Bazilian<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/wattsupwiththat.com\/authors\/jahara_matisek\/\">Jahara Matisek<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On December 3, 2024, China&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mofcom.gov.cn\/zwgk\/zcfb\/art\/2024\/art_3d5e990b43424e60828030f58a547b60.html\">imposed<\/a>&nbsp;export bans on antimony, gallium, and germanium\u2014three elements with important defense applications. Antimony is used in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dtic.mil\/sti\/tr\/pdf\/ADA591327.pdf\">over 200<\/a>&nbsp;munitions of the Department of Defense, ranging from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/jpeoaa.army.mil\/Portals\/94\/JPEOAA\/Documents\/JPEOAAPortfolioBook_2017.pdf\">5.56 mm ammunition<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apps.dtic.mil\/sti\/pdfs\/ADA625185.pdf\">155 mm artillery rounds<\/a>. Gallium is used in cutting-edge radar systems like the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militaryaerospace.com\/sensors\/article\/55130916\/raytheon-technologies-corp-radar-missile-defense-gallium-nitride-gan\">Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense System<\/a>. And&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/News-Stories\/Article\/Article\/3079217\/dla-program-introduces-domestic-germanium-recycling-capability\/\">germanium<\/a>&nbsp;is used in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/?view&amp;did=764766\">infrared lenses<\/a>&nbsp;for night vision and thermal imaging in naval vessels, combat vehicles, and aircraft. Beyond defense applications, these minerals are also vital for American industry and commercial technology, such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/of\/2024\/1057\/ofr20241057.pdf\">fiber optic cables<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the U.S.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/periodicals\/mcs2024\/mcs2024.pdf\">relies<\/a>&nbsp;heavily on China for these minerals, China\u2019s new export ban could delay the manufacture of defense platforms and munitions, exacerbating already&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2024\/04\/30\/soaring-us-munitions-demand-strains-support-for-israel-ukraine-taiwan\/\">depleted defense stocks<\/a>&nbsp;and further undermining America\u2019s warfighting capabilities. The United States&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/periodicals\/mcs2024\/mcs2024.pdf\">depends<\/a>&nbsp;greatly on China for other minerals, too. For example, for minerals in which the U.S. is more than 50% net import reliant, China\u2014the Pentagon\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf\">pacing challenge<\/a>\u201d\u2014is the leading import source for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/periodicals\/mcs2024\/mcs2024.pdf\">24<\/a>&nbsp;minerals. Critically, China&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2024\/12\/chinas-mineral-export-ban-strikes-at-the-us-defense-industrial-base\/\">could<\/a>&nbsp;ban exports of these other minerals, such as bismuth (used in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/?view&amp;did=764766\">defense alloys<\/a>) and tungsten (needed for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/?view&amp;did=764766\">armor-piercing<\/a>&nbsp;munitions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, the U.S. government must stockpile strategic minerals to ensure a reliable and resilient supply for the defense industrial base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet, the government\u2019s current mineral stockpile\u2014the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/FR-2024-08-29\/pdf\/2024-19422.pdf\">U.S. National Defense Stockpile<\/a>\u2014 \u201cis not intended to influence prices in the market or insulate private industry from supply shocks.\u201d This stockpile is only supposed to be tapped \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?hl=false&amp;edition=prelim&amp;req=granuleid%3AUSC-prelim-title50-section98a&amp;num=0&amp;saved=%7CKHRpdGxlOjUwIHNlY3Rpb246OTggZWRpdGlvbjpwcmVsaW0p%7C%7C%7C0%7Cfalse%7Cprelim\">in times of national emergency<\/a>,\u201d namely war. Stockpile acquisitions and releases from the National Defense Stockpile are also subject to bureaucratic approval by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title50-section98h-1&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\">Strategic and Critical Materials Board of Directors<\/a>. These strictures are not conducive to protecting the defense industrial base in the global mineral market, which faces risks of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com\/2024\/12\/chinas-mineral-export-ban-strikes-at-the-us-defense-industrial-base\/\">supply shocks<\/a>\u00a0from China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably, however, the Trump Administration could use the Defense Production Act (DPA) to build a separate mineral stockpile that can function outside of national emergencies and war. This stockpile would be capable of not only selling minerals to the defense industrial base amid supply shortages but also acquiring minerals from domestic mineral producers to incentivize domestic production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Previous presidential administrations have indeed used the DPA to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ahec.armywarcollege.edu\/documents\/Defense_Production_Act_1950-2020.pdf\">build<\/a>&nbsp;sizable mineral inventories. In December 1963, for example, the DPA mineral inventory was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ia601503.us.archive.org\/15\/items\/in.ernet.dli.2015.155107\/2015.155107.Stockpile-Report-To-The-Congress-July--December-1963.pdf\">$1.5 billion<\/a>&nbsp;(valued at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.minneapolisfed.org\/about-us\/monetary-policy\/inflation-calculator\">over $10 billion<\/a>&nbsp;in 2024 dollars). Administrations have then sold portions of these stockpiled minerals to domestic firms to alleviate supply shortages. In the first half of 1965, the U.S. government released over&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ia801304.us.archive.org\/32\/items\/in.ernet.dli.2015.155095\/2015.155095.Stockpile-Report-To-The-Congress-January-June-1965.pdf\">20,000 tons<\/a>&nbsp;of copper from the DPA inventory to domestic firms amid&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1964\/12\/17\/archives\/copper-sale-set-to-ease-supplies-us-releases-20000-tons-from.html\">tight<\/a>&nbsp;global supplies. Multiple administrations have, too, sold DPA inventories to support defense manufacturers facing constrained mineral supplies. For instance, the DPA inventory was authorized in 1963 to release&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ia601503.us.archive.org\/15\/items\/in.ernet.dli.2015.155107\/2015.155107.Stockpile-Report-To-The-Congress-July--December-1963.pdf\">30,000 tons<\/a>&nbsp;of titanium sponge for a Navy prime contract, given limited commercial supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Administrations have also used DPA authority to incentivize domestic mineral production. During the Korean War, the U.S. government effectively&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/AJISUC7IKKA6HR9A\/pages\/A6O2AV7EJ3HUCL8G\">set<\/a>&nbsp;a price floor in 1951 for domestic tungsten: it committed to purchase all domestically produced tungsten at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/c\/view?docid=456593\">$63 per unit<\/a>&nbsp;for five years or until three million units were stockpiled. U.S. tungsten production then increased from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/A3M2CR4ONJEVFW9A\/pages\/A2WDGPRJFBXSGN8Z\">2,000 tons<\/a>&nbsp;in 1950 to almost&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/AYN24FNJ4SVPND86\/pages\/AEBPMFSHOEIPQH9A\">8,000 tons<\/a>&nbsp;in 1955, with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/AYN24FNJ4SVPND86\/pages\/ALKKNRVA32Y5749C\">nearly all<\/a>&nbsp;of it sent to the national stockpile. The U.S. government applied this same policy with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/c\/view?docid=456593\">aluminum<\/a>, and it helped increase U.S. production from about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/A3M2CR4ONJEVFW9A\/pages\/ANJUAOC5MFISPC8C\">720,000 tons<\/a>&nbsp;in 1950 to nearly&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/search.library.wisc.edu\/digital\/AYN24FNJ4SVPND86\/pages\/ABXUCLWOMSMC7N8J\">1.6 million tons<\/a>&nbsp;in 1955.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the DPA, the incoming Trump Administration has broad unilateral authority to create a new DPA mineral inventory and to acquire and sell those minerals at its discretion. The DPA explicitly includes&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title50-section4552&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\">stockpiling<\/a>&nbsp;in its \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:50%20section:4502%20edition:prelim)\">national defense<\/a>\u201d programs and declares that the U.S. government\u2019s policy must&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:50%20section:4502%20edition:prelim)\">consider<\/a>&nbsp;stockpiling strategic materials. Under&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:50%20section:4533%20edition:prelim)\">50 U.S.C. \u00a7\u00a74533(a)<\/a>, the president has statutory authority\u2014which has been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2012\/03\/22\/2012-7019\/national-defense-resources-preparedness\">delegated<\/a>&nbsp;to agency heads\u2014to purchase or commit to purchasing&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title50-section4552&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\">industrial resources<\/a>, including materials necessary for the defense industrial base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Importantly, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/COMPS-10665\/pdf\/COMPS-10665.pdf\">National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 1993<\/a>&nbsp;transferred the DPA inventory to the National Defense Stockpile. However, this transfer only applied to minerals in the inventory as of June 30, 1992, so minerals acquired for a new DPA inventory are not required to be transferred to the National Defense Stockpile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump Administration could use any of the Defense Production Act\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usaspending.gov\/federal_account\/097-0360\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$1 billion<\/a>&nbsp;in unobligated funds for stockpiling minerals. Depending on the final defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2025, the incoming administration could tap even more funds, likely an additional&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/118\/bills\/hr8774\/BILLS-118hr8774pcs.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$450 million<\/a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/118\/bills\/s4921\/BILLS-118s4921rs.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$900 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump Administration can&nbsp;<em>immediately<\/em>&nbsp;use these funds to purchase or commit to purchasing minerals for the stockpile because current U.S. President Joe Biden has already signed a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2023\/02\/27\/memorandum-on-presidential-waiver-of-statutory-requirements-pursuant-to-section-303-of-the-defense-production-act-of-1950-as-amended-on-department-of-defense-supply-chains-resilience\/\">waiver<\/a>&nbsp;for DPA purchases concerning critical minerals. This action&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=(title:50%20section:4533%20edition:prelim)\">waives<\/a>&nbsp;the statutory requirements for a presidential determination, terms of sale, spending limitations, and congressional notifications and authorizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This DPA inventory should contain minerals currently&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/16483302\/Reconfiguration-of-the-National-Defense-Stockpile-Report-to-Congress\">used<\/a>&nbsp;by the defense industrial base, including minerals already in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/R\/R47833\">National Defense Stockpile<\/a>, as well as those excluded from it, including&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/periodicals\/mcs2024\/mcs2024-copper.pdf\">copper<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/pubs.usgs.gov\/periodicals\/mcs2024\/mcs2024-bismuth.pdf\">bismuth<\/a>. However, the incoming administration should also acquire minerals needed for future Pentagon programs, such as minerals for&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetandtechnologylaw.com\/quantum-computing-critical-minerals\/\">quantum computing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When releasing these minerals to domestic firms, the president should sell these minerals to approved domestic manufacturers in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/topics\/critical-infrastructure-security-and-resilience\/critical-infrastructure-sectors\">critical sectors<\/a>, prioritizing the defense industrial base. The president could also release these minerals to government consumers, such as Department of Defense labs conducting materials research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The minerals stockpiled should also be in a form that can be integrated into defense manufacturing with minimal additional steps. For example, instead of tungsten ore and concentrates\u2014which the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/crsreports.congress.gov\/product\/pdf\/R\/R47833\">National Defense Stockpile<\/a>&nbsp;currently contains\u2014the DPA inventory should contain tungsten metal powder. Importantly, the inventory should exclude materials in overly specialized forms (e.g.,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsdl.org\/c\/view?docid=456593\">aluminum sheets tapered to a specific degree<\/a>) that have narrow applications and could become obsolete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Similar to the Cold War, the stockpiled minerals can be stored at various&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ia902904.us.archive.org\/26\/items\/in.ernet.dli.2015.165375\/2015.165375.Stockpile-Report-To-The-Congress-July--December-1964_text.pdf\">government and commercial<\/a>&nbsp;facilities, with preference for existing military depots and other government-owned facilities. If additional storage space is necessary, the U.S. government can&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/uscode.house.gov\/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title50-section4552&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim\">use<\/a>&nbsp;DPA funds to lease commercial warehouses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just as the Eisenhower Administration&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ahec.armywarcollege.edu\/documents\/Defense_Production_Act_1950-2020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stockpiled&nbsp;<\/a>minerals using DPA funds during the Cold War, the incoming Trump Administration could justifiably do the same amid the U.S.-China&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/heatmap.news\/economy\/china-critical-mineral-trade-war\">mineral war<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Gregory Wischer is a fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Morgan Bazilian is the director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Lt Col Jahara \u201cFranky\u201d Matisek is a military professor in the National Security Affairs department at the US Naval War College and fellow at the Payne Institute for Public Policy. Views are his own.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On December 3, 2024, China\u00a0imposed\u00a0export bans on antimony, gallium, and germanium\u2014three elements with important defense applications. Antimony is used in\u00a0over 200\u00a0munitions of the Department of Defense, ranging from\u00a05.56 mm ammunition\u00a0to\u00a0155 mm artillery rounds. Gallium is used in cutting-edge radar systems like the\u00a0Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense System.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":357912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818341,691832227,691821173,691832225,691832226],"class_list":["post-357910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-china","tag-defense-production-act-dpa","tag-department-of-defense","tag-export-bans","tag-u-s-national-defense-stockpile","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0pentagon-building.jpg?fit=1600%2C800&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1v6K","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":354536,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=354536","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":0},"title":"China Begins Ban of Rare Earth Minerals to the US","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/15\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The move comes a day after the Biden administration expanded curbs on the sale of advanced American technology to China.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/01601868426goldminingpitcover.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/01601868426goldminingpitcover.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/01601868426goldminingpitcover.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/01601868426goldminingpitcover.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/01601868426goldminingpitcover.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":439199,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=439199","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":1},"title":"Rare Earth Leverage and Pressure Points on U.S. Technological Power","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/13\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"In 2025\u20132026 the world faced a series of decisions by China that at first glance looked like another step in its technological confrontation with the West. Beijing introduced export licenses for gallium, germanium, and several other rare\u2011earth metals, citing the need to protect national security.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQO8m65RO7dOr3dSQT2GxaENDiqNMIJkTRPlkI44CTQLgpil1t6Tp3XQGng9CByasXeQANQ_qS7f-0edr4N0DIhVHzro9iiq8tBND4ZPbDe-ccizW2sgzBDlUb8cVaFD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C484&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQO8m65RO7dOr3dSQT2GxaENDiqNMIJkTRPlkI44CTQLgpil1t6Tp3XQGng9CByasXeQANQ_qS7f-0edr4N0DIhVHzro9iiq8tBND4ZPbDe-ccizW2sgzBDlUb8cVaFD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C484&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQO8m65RO7dOr3dSQT2GxaENDiqNMIJkTRPlkI44CTQLgpil1t6Tp3XQGng9CByasXeQANQ_qS7f-0edr4N0DIhVHzro9iiq8tBND4ZPbDe-ccizW2sgzBDlUb8cVaFD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C484&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQO8m65RO7dOr3dSQT2GxaENDiqNMIJkTRPlkI44CTQLgpil1t6Tp3XQGng9CByasXeQANQ_qS7f-0edr4N0DIhVHzro9iiq8tBND4ZPbDe-ccizW2sgzBDlUb8cVaFD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C484&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQO8m65RO7dOr3dSQT2GxaENDiqNMIJkTRPlkI44CTQLgpil1t6Tp3XQGng9CByasXeQANQ_qS7f-0edr4N0DIhVHzro9iiq8tBND4ZPbDe-ccizW2sgzBDlUb8cVaFD.jpeg?fit=1200%2C484&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":359726,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=359726","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":2},"title":"How NEPA stands in the way of American mineral security","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"12\/30\/2024","format":false,"excerpt":"America has a mineral security problem. The materials and resources that power essential and next-generation technologies increasingly come from abroad. Our supply chains \u2013 formed in the post-Cold War period of free trade expansionism \u2013 have become vulnerabilities in our modern age of multipolarity and great power competition. Now, America\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Periodic-table-metals-man-walking.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Periodic-table-metals-man-walking.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Periodic-table-metals-man-walking.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Periodic-table-metals-man-walking.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/0Periodic-table-metals-man-walking.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":438555,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=438555","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":3},"title":"How China Dominates the World\u2019s Critical Minerals Production","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/10\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Critical minerals are mined all over the world, but the majority of the supply ends up passing through China. For a broad range of key metals and minerals, China is either the largest miner, the dominant refiner, or both. This is true for rare earths, lithium, cobalt, graphite, nickel, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQMQo_xoJbT8C8dGFE2w8YBc0Qi71B42cUDYiZmAsiakbidCDOwSch2JDTVGnDgX-jdjIMqgVMJ1Q6QeL3CfAdi5BJixp8X8o_4bQjetqkYfUbCoTZgnZMIPG8ilZi7a.jpeg?fit=1178%2C780&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQMQo_xoJbT8C8dGFE2w8YBc0Qi71B42cUDYiZmAsiakbidCDOwSch2JDTVGnDgX-jdjIMqgVMJ1Q6QeL3CfAdi5BJixp8X8o_4bQjetqkYfUbCoTZgnZMIPG8ilZi7a.jpeg?fit=1178%2C780&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQMQo_xoJbT8C8dGFE2w8YBc0Qi71B42cUDYiZmAsiakbidCDOwSch2JDTVGnDgX-jdjIMqgVMJ1Q6QeL3CfAdi5BJixp8X8o_4bQjetqkYfUbCoTZgnZMIPG8ilZi7a.jpeg?fit=1178%2C780&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQMQo_xoJbT8C8dGFE2w8YBc0Qi71B42cUDYiZmAsiakbidCDOwSch2JDTVGnDgX-jdjIMqgVMJ1Q6QeL3CfAdi5BJixp8X8o_4bQjetqkYfUbCoTZgnZMIPG8ilZi7a.jpeg?fit=1178%2C780&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/AQMQo_xoJbT8C8dGFE2w8YBc0Qi71B42cUDYiZmAsiakbidCDOwSch2JDTVGnDgX-jdjIMqgVMJ1Q6QeL3CfAdi5BJixp8X8o_4bQjetqkYfUbCoTZgnZMIPG8ilZi7a.jpeg?fit=1178%2C780&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":439239,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=439239","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":4},"title":"Weaponizing Rare Earths: How Beijing\u2019s Controls Target U.S. Technological Edge","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"04\/13\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The suspension of China\u2019s October 2025 export controls (Announcements 55\u201358, 61\u201362) ends on November 10, 2026. The April 2025 controls on medium\/heavy REEs (dysprosium, terbium, etc.), magnets, and related items remain in force but are currently administered permissively via \u201cgeneral licenses\u201d for civilian end-users.","rel":"","context":"In \"China\"","block_context":{"text":"China","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=china"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Weaponizing-Rare-Earths-How-Beijings-Controls-Target-U.S.-Technological-Edge.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Weaponizing-Rare-Earths-How-Beijings-Controls-Target-U.S.-Technological-Edge.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Weaponizing-Rare-Earths-How-Beijings-Controls-Target-U.S.-Technological-Edge.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Weaponizing-Rare-Earths-How-Beijings-Controls-Target-U.S.-Technological-Edge.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/0-Weaponizing-Rare-Earths-How-Beijings-Controls-Target-U.S.-Technological-Edge.jpg?fit=1168%2C784&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":410285,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=410285","url_meta":{"origin":357910,"position":5},"title":"China has announced stricter export controls on rare earth elements","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"10\/26\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"China has repeatedly used these minerals as a bargaining chip in trade discussions as it controls the majority of the global rare-earth supply chain.","rel":"","context":"In \"aircraft engines\"","block_context":{"text":"aircraft engines","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=aircraft-engines"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNevgy7QnKlVIAA6Q5bufpj7rCyZwPBjELpNvv_DdbhsBjWGaMB2IbMFfHG6p787_qEumyZwNmsG3AaqSBjRO4VNOJxkeOwOL-iVCLdZSo8WK0oTpHAyamSrm2GtbKO-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNevgy7QnKlVIAA6Q5bufpj7rCyZwPBjELpNvv_DdbhsBjWGaMB2IbMFfHG6p787_qEumyZwNmsG3AaqSBjRO4VNOJxkeOwOL-iVCLdZSo8WK0oTpHAyamSrm2GtbKO-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNevgy7QnKlVIAA6Q5bufpj7rCyZwPBjELpNvv_DdbhsBjWGaMB2IbMFfHG6p787_qEumyZwNmsG3AaqSBjRO4VNOJxkeOwOL-iVCLdZSo8WK0oTpHAyamSrm2GtbKO-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNevgy7QnKlVIAA6Q5bufpj7rCyZwPBjELpNvv_DdbhsBjWGaMB2IbMFfHG6p787_qEumyZwNmsG3AaqSBjRO4VNOJxkeOwOL-iVCLdZSo8WK0oTpHAyamSrm2GtbKO-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/0AQNevgy7QnKlVIAA6Q5bufpj7rCyZwPBjELpNvv_DdbhsBjWGaMB2IbMFfHG6p787_qEumyZwNmsG3AaqSBjRO4VNOJxkeOwOL-iVCLdZSo8WK0oTpHAyamSrm2GtbKO-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C757&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=357910"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":357914,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/357910\/revisions\/357914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/357912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=357910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=357910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=357910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}