American Resources Principal Daniel McGroarty addresses the issue of the United States mineral dependencies against the background of mounting Presidential campaign pressures in a piece for The Hill’s Congress Blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

When it comes to our mineral dependence, President Obama has talked about Rare Earths, talked about strengthening manufacturing, and talked about the need for a modern military with state-of-the-art weaponry – all of which depend on a strong U.S. minerals access policy. But without taking more concrete steps, President Obama can only be judged by the obstructionist actions his Federal agencies have taken.

Governor Romney has directly addressed the permitting process on the campaign trail, promising to streamline it and move more authority from the Federal government to states. Yet his focus has been exclusively on energy independence. He should expand his agenda to include resource independence. Ready access to reliable supplies of metals and minerals is every bit as critical to America’s national security, manufacturing competitiveness, and job creation.

To read the full piece, click here.