On Wednesday’s broadcast of “CNN NewsNight,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) said that is possible for the United States to boost its supply of rare earth minerals by mining sources of the minerals in America, but in order to do so, we’ll have to expedite the process of building mines and to do so, “you’re going to have a hard conversation — particularly on my side of the aisle — about how you can build a mine in two years instead of 20 years.”
Himes said, “[T]he rare earth minerals, perfect. We will never — no one manufactures rare earth minerals, if we really are serious about rare earth minerals, first of all, we won’t put tariffs on –.”
Himes then was cut off by other panelists.
Himes continued, “And secondly, here’s how we solve the rare earth minerals problem: We could mine those things here in the United States, in places like Utah and Wyoming. But to build a mine in this country is a two-to-three-decade proposition. And so, if you’re really serious about getting rare earth minerals here in the country, you’re going to have a hard conversation — particularly on my side of the aisle — about how you can build a mine in two years instead of 20 years. That’s how you solve the rare earth minerals.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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