Aren't you Precious.
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Posted on 10/21/2011 10:01:09 AM PDT by JerseyanExile
China only has about 30 percent of the world's rare earth metal deposits, but thanks to clever planning it today controls 97 percent of the world's production of these scarce resources. Deposits of this family of 17 elements -- vital to power electronics found in televisions, smart phones, electric vehicles, and a variety of other devices -- are found in California, Canada, Australia, and Russia, but it will take years to bring them online.
In short the world is at China's mercy for now when it comes to rare earth supply. And China's biggest rare earth metal producer -- the Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Rare-Earth (Group) has announced that it is severing shipments to the U.S., Japan, and Europe for one month in an attempt to artificially inflate prices.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailytech.com ...
Time to consult Phu Kyoo ?
I’m sure Obama knows just what to do /sarc
Golly gee Mr. Wizard. What will we DO without smart phones, TV, or electric cars????
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Maybe we should also use this issue to beat Zer0 and his Tzars about the head?
We have supplies in the USA too.
Arizona or Colorado, I think, I just read about this last month.
But the EPA won’t let them mine for it
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr................
I am going to change my tagline...
Many of these products go into military hardware.
The Russians have the mines but they are considered military assets.
But maybe the higher prices will help to speed this up.
—but it will take years to bring them online. —
Maybe I’m just old, but that does not impress me. If they had said “decades”, I would feel differently.
—Golly gee Mr. Wizard. What will we DO without smart phones, TV, or electric cars????—
I guess we could use the ones we have until we’ve gone through the “years” bringing other sources online.
Those items should last over a decade anyway.
If China can get their Liquid Thorium Salt reactors working (a project being led by the son of a High power muckity much in the commie party of china) they will have a very big edge as a “waste” product of Rare Earth metal mining is Thorium.
I fear China will be selling us Energy is this happens and we will dependent on another hostile power for our energy needs....
The title is incorrect. China did not cut off the supply of rare earths. We did. Envoronmental laws make it nearly impossible to mine our own.
We walked away and left China standing on the field alone.
The Blame is solidly on the American Environmentalist, not the Chinese who are wisely playing out the monopoly hand we dealt.
Yeah. It is the environmental impact that has everyone sitting on their hands. Let China poison itself as fast and hard as possible. But reliance on the Chicoms for anything, especially things required for maintenance or use or development of military hardware is beyond stupid.
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/wilderness-resources/stories/australia-set-for-rare-earths-boom
The U.S. can and should have developed resources to ensure the really important things are taken care of. But “we” haven’t.
Makes one wonder. /s
Thanks for posting this. I wonder if California could actually seize the opportunity to do some long-term planning and build a rare earth metal mining industry here.
That would be very wise. I know, I know, that makes it less likely that it will happen.
I’m not wondering. Your country is committing suicide.
Free Trade™ is great!
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