Why Won’t Biden Pursue U.S. Mineral Independence?

In “To Counter China, Look to the Democratic Republic of Congo” (op-ed, April 27), Melissa Skorka argues that to combat Communist China’s chokehold on critical mineral supply chains, we should increase our involvement in and reliance on the Congo. There is an alternative, however, that would make America mineral independent and secure our critical mineral supply chains, which is a matter of national security.

The U.S. is blessed with an abundance of the mineral resources needed to produce items from smartphones to fighter jets. For example, the Duluth and Tamarack complexes in my northern Minnesota district have 95% of America’s nickel reserves, almost 90% of our cobalt reserves and a third of our copper and other platinum group metals. We also have a well-trained workforce and strict labor and environmental standards, unlike the Democratic Republic of Congo, where child labor is prevalent and environmental degradation is common. Unfortunately, the Biden administration is beholden to radical keep-it-in-the-ground activists who oppose domestic mining. In January, President Biden’s Interior Department placed a 20-year moratorium on mining in parts of the Duluth complex, refusing to let environmental reviews play out.