Glory days, made again in America

Minerals unique properties contribute to supplying us with food, shelter, infrastructure, transportation, communications, health care, manufacturing, new technologies and defense.

Import reliance of minerals is of particular relevance to the United States and serious concerns have been raised, since at least the early 1980’s, that the necessary critical and strategic mineral resources will not be available to meet soaring demand for current and emerging products and technologies.

Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate.” Victor Lebow, 1955

America depends upon overseas suppliers for over 80 per cent of its most important critical minerals.

*Researchers have concluded that the U.N.’s estimated global population of 10 billion people (by the end of this century) could consume 1.7 trillion kilograms of copper, total global in-ground stocks of copper are estimated at 1.6 trillion kilograms.

The American Resources Policy Network report notes that:

**China supplies more than one in five of the minerals that are vital to the America’s commercial and defense sectors despite the fact that proven U.S. resources exist for 40 of the 46 minerals reviewed, or 87 per cent of these minerals.

**China is the leading producer of the following commodities:

Cement 50%, coal 40%, iron ore 39%, phosphate rock 35%, gypsum 28%, zinc 25%, barite 55%, lead 43%, manganese 25%, rare earths 97%, molybdenum 39%, tungsten 81%, arsenic 47%, vanadium 37%, cadmium 23%, gold 13%, mercury 63%, indium 50%, germanium.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) the value of raw, nonfuel minerals mined in the United States was $74 billion in 2011, up from $66 billion in 2010, domestic raw materials and domestically recycled materials were used to process and produce mineral materials worth $633 billion. Final products, such as cars and houses, produced by major U.S. industries using mineral materials made up about 15 per cent (more than $2.2 trillion) of the 2011 gross domestic product.

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