Not content with President Biden’s goal of having 50 percent of new vehicle sales by 2030 be electric, California took things a step further and said there would be a ban on the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. This move opened the door to other states following suit, so long as their regulations are identical. But critics were right to point out that such a sudden and massive transition is like putting the cart before the horse. Many new questions came up, including how California’s grid could handle the new demand. Another dealt with the supply of critical minerals used in electric vehicles, which require two and a half times more copper than a combustion car needs, for example.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource addressed this and many other issues associated with the transition to electric vehicles in a hearing last week that examined “opportunities to counter the People’s Republic of China’s control of critical mineral supply chains.”
"When it comes to the EV battery supply chain, depending on the mineral, China processes anywhere from 60 to 100 percent of all the minerals needed for batteries and electric motors," Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) pointed out. "And their dominance is not just in minerals, it’s also in battery manufacturing. China is responsible for 74 percent of the world’s cathode production, 92 percent of anode production, and 76 percent of lithium ion battery cell production. They’ve cornered the market."
As one of the U.S.'s biggest adversaries, that's a huge problem. But it's not just the PRC that's dominated the critical minerals market.
“The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a major producer of cobalt and copper," Sen. John Barrasso said, "and Indonesia produces nearly half of the world’s nickel. These nations don’t share our values."
In the U.S., mining projects either face red tape a mile long, drawn out indefinitely by environmental studies, or, like in Northern Minnesota, the administration completely shuts them down, leaving the U.S. beholden to its enemies.
“China ruthlessly exploits a religious and ethnic minority as a source of forced labor in its mining industry," Barrasso continued. “The Congo has tens of thousands of children mining cobalt. Indonesia is clear cutting vast areas of its tropical rainforest to access its nickel reserves. No moral or ethical sacrifice, including slavery and child labor, seems to be too great for Joe Biden’s so-called 'green transition.'"
“America’s dependence on foreign minerals is not only shameful and reckless, is unnecessary," the Republican senator declared. “We have more of the resources we need right here at home, including copper, including lithium, including nickel, graphite, and cobalt. Yet the Biden administration’s boneheaded policies make it nearly impossible to access them."
The Wyoming Republican said there's a transition underway alright, but it's one from "American energy to foreign minerals."
"It is transition from American strength and independence to American weakness and dependence," he said.
To reverse course, the senator argued an administration with "courage and commonsense" is needed to tap into America's abundant mineral and energy supplies, changing the "reckless course" America is on once and for all.
We must change the reckless course that we are on and unleash the abundant mineral and energy resources we have at home. https://t.co/EolH1WM19C pic.twitter.com/t2eBPh73PR
— Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) September 28, 2023
🔥🔥JUST NOW @SenJohnBarrasso:
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) September 28, 2023
“Biden's agenda is not a transition from fossil fuels to sunshine & wind.
It’s a transition from American energy to foreign minerals.
It’s a transition from American strength and independence to American weakness.” pic.twitter.com/kTyEGJ8Gb3