Biden wants US dependent on foreign sources for materials for electric vehicles he favors

 Washington Examiner:

Relying on foreign allies for critical minerals supply instead of mining domestically would be an “irresponsible” and “dangerous” policy for the Biden administration to pursue, a top lithium executive says.

“That’s a false choice. We need to have both. We need to have production, and we need to have processing in the United States,” James Calaway, who is the chairman of the board of lithium mining company Ioneer, told the Washington Examiner. “Those go together, and that’s the most environmentally friendly way to do it.”

US FACES SOARING NEED FOR CRITICAL MINERALS DOMINATED BY CHINA, IEA SAYS

Calaway was responding to a report that said the Biden administration, in a move to appease environmentalists, would focus on building a domestic industry to process critical minerals rather than exploring opportunities to mine in the U.S.

The potential policy decision drew immediate backlash from mining industry groups. The Biden administration sought to clarify its stance, with deputy White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi telling Reuters the administration’s pending supply chain review “includes responsibly pursuing, developing, and mining critical minerals and materials used for EV batteries.”

A plentiful supply of critical minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and rare earth elements will be vital to President Joe Biden’s aggressive climate plans, which include proposals to boost renewable energy deployment and electric vehicle adoption massively.

Those technologies are more mineral-intensive. The International Energy Agency recently projected the world’s appetite for critical minerals could grow by as much as six times in the next two decades. A typical electric car requires six times as many minerals as a gas-powered car, the IEA said.

The U.S., however, has little domestic supply of critical minerals. Much of the world’s production and processing is dominated by China.

If the Biden administration does steer away from domestic mining, companies such as Ioneer have a lot to lose.

Ioneer, an Australian company, is working to build a lithium mine to tap into the reserves in Nevada's Rhyolite Ridge, located about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno. The region has one-of-a-kind mineralogy that Ioneer hopes to take advantage of to produce lithium at some of the world's lowest costs.

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This is more evidence of what an intellectual lightweight Biden and many in his administration are when it comes to transportation options for the future.  Making the US dependent on China for this material is strategic nonsense.  They are also using the climate change excuse for doing this.  This is malpractice on a grand scale.