[ad_1]
The April 30 news article “EV underbelly: What goes into the cars, at what cost” stated as a foregone conclusion that the electric vehicle “supply chain has a significant human and environmental toll.” The article looked only at current global production and reserves in select countries overseas, ignoring the immense and relatively untapped natural resources that we have here at home.
The United States is rich in natural resources that are produced under the highest environmental, labor and safety standards in the world. But we simply make it too hard to mine in the United States, with a permitting process that often exceeds more than a decade. The Inflation Reduction Act and other bills are throwing money at the supply chain problem, but financial support and incentives will get you nowhere if officials don’t actually give permission for a mine.
Rather than providing a false narrative that the minerals needed for our energy future are available only in countries with questionable labor and environmental practices, let’s focus on expanding support for mining here in the United States to make sure minerals are produced responsibly — while creating high-quality jobs for Americans.
The writer is president and chief executive of the National Mining Association.
[ad_2]
Source link
