Seven Recommendations for the New Administration and Congress: Building U.S. Critical Minerals Security
https://www.csis.org/analysis/seven-recommendations-new-administration-and-congress-building-us-critical-minerals
"The current focus of both the U.S. government and industry is on the extent to which tariffs will be used to achieve the overarching objective. The reality is that a combination of sticks and carrots will be required. Permitting reform and subsidies can help build domestic production and processing capabilities. Overusing tariffs can have a negative impact. For commodities that the United States has limited or no supply of or is at early-stage development, imposing high tariffs can have two consequences: (1) it can make goods too expensive for end users to purchase, leading to a chokehold on important U.S. industries and jobs central to economic prosperity and national security, and (2) high tariffs on mineral imports can drive producing countries to export elsewhere (likely China)—which could strengthen China’s dominant position in minerals supply chains. Incentives to invest domestically and in allied countries will be an important carrot to stimulate mineral production and processing. Without this investment, building resilient supply chains will be nearly impossible.
Recommendation 1: Create a Renewed Bureau of Mines to Expand Domestic Mining Capabilities
Recommendation 2: Develop Incentives to Safeguard U.S. Industries
Recommendation 3: Expand Domestic Capabilities while Bolstering Strategic International Partnerships
Recommendation 4: Expand the Beneficiaries List for Current and Future Minerals Incentives
Recommendation 5: Reform the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to Better Fund Minerals Projects
Recommendation 6: Quickly Appoint Effective Ambassadors in Mineral-Rich Jurisdictions
Recommendation 7: Add Copper to the Department of the Interior’s Critical Minerals List
In relation to recommendation 3, the CSIS says this about Uranium:The joint domestic-international approach will be vital to building U.S. nuclear power capabilities, which is a bipartisan priority. Historically, it has been highly reliant on Russia and Kazakhstan. In 2022, the United States imported nearly 25 percent of its domestic enriched uranium consumption from Russia. To reduce this national security vulnerability, the United States is building domestic uranium enrichment capabilities for the first time in decades. Most recently, in September 2024, Orano announced that it would build a multibillion-dollar centrifuge uranium enrichment facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. However, the United States has less than 1 percent of the world’s uranium. While it can mine this, in the long-term, expanding support to production in Australia, Canada, and Namibia, which cumulatively hold 46 percent of the world’s uranium, will be important to feed domestic enrichment facilities and increase nuclear power capacity.
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