supply chain vulnerable to disruption. America's tenuous relations with China and Russia, coupled with the enormous new demand for minerals needed for EVs and renewable energy infrastructure, U.S. lawmakers and the Pentagon are pushing for more reliable supplies of critical minerals – either from domestic mining or importing from allied nations. As a result, various federal legisla- tive acts and appropriations allocated hundreds of billions of dollars in 2022 to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals. Given that intriguing quantities of 49 out of the 50 minerals deemed crit- ical in the U.S. are found in Alaska, the state's growing mining sector has the potential for a major boost from feder- al spending. A complete list of critical minerals found in Alaska, including a summary of their uses, can be read at 49 critical minerals in the 49th State published in the November 4, 2022 edition of North of 60 Mining News. Timely, comprehensive report When considering each of the 15 rare earth elements and six platinum group metals individually, the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2022 includes detailed production, consumption, and
recycling information for more than 90 nonfuel mineral commodities. The U.S. was more than 50 percent import-reliant for 50 mined commod- ities tracked by USGS during 2022. This includes the most up-to-date information on industrial commod- ities such as cement, iron ore, and sand and gravel; precious metals such as gold and silver; rare earth elements such as praseodymium, neodymium, and dysprosium; and critical minerals such as cobalt, indium, and tellurium. The minerals included in the report are used in every facet of modern life; from construction to consumer elec- tronics, aerospace, renewable energy, and healthcare. And considering that the comprehensive mineral sum- maries are published about a month after the end of the year they cover, this data is relevant and vital to poli- cymakers and researchers. "Decision-makers and leaders in both the private and public sectors rely on the crucial, unbiased statis- tics and data provided by the USGS in the Mineral Commodity Summaries to make business decisions and deter- mine national policy," said Fortier. Shane Lasley is Publisher of North of 60 Mining News
MINING, CONTINUED from PAGE 19
used in semiconductors for high-tech devices and military hardware; gal- lium, a primary ingredient in semi- conductors used in next-generation smartphones and telecommunication networks; graphite, the primary an- ode ingredient in lithium-ion bat- teries in electric vehicles; and man- ganese, a largely overlooked metal in the cathode of EV batteries. The U.S. is also more than 95 per - cent import-dependent for rare earths, a group of 15 elements critical to a wide range of high-tech, military, and com- mercial goods; 83 percent import-de - pendent for antimony, a metalloid that the Pentagon is particularly concerned about securing a reliable supply; and 77 percent import-dependent for tin, a metal that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers ranked as most likely to be impacted by emerg- ing technologies. In February of 2022, the USGS fi - nalized an updated list of minerals critical to the U.S. This updated list in - cludes 50 nonfuel minerals and metals essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. and which has a
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