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In yet another comprehensive piece for Resource Investor Aheadoftheherd.com host and Northern Venture Group President Rick Mills discusses the issue of global resource insecurity. Pointing out a long list of “serious concerns in regards to global resource extraction that we need to consider,” Mills’ piece zeroes in on costs, resource nationalism, civil unrest directed towards mining, and the role of urbanization and population growth particularly in countries like China and India, as well as on the African continent.

Mills predicts that:

“[a]ccessing a sustainable, and secure, supply of raw materials is going to become the number one priority for all countries. Increasingly we are going to see countries ensuring their own industries have first rights of access to internally produced commodities and they will look for such privileged access from other countries.”

He concludes:

“The supply of most commodities is going to tighten. This undeniable fact should be on everyone’s radar screen. Is it on yours? If not, it should be.”

Thankfully, there are signs that the issue is increasingly appearing on Washington DC policymakers’ radar screens – let’s hope momentum keeps building for a the formulation of a comprehensive U.S. mineral strategy in light of the many challenges we’re facing in this area.

With the stated goal of kicking off a“new conversation—a better conversation” about energy, U.S. Senator and Senate Energy and National Resources Committee Ranking Minority Member Lisa Murkowski (R-Alas.) has released a set of policy priorities in a report she developed with the committee’s staff. The blueprint’s key premise is that energy should be “abundant, affordable, clean, and secure.”

What is particularly new and exciting about the report “Energy 20/20: A Vision for America’s Energy Future” from an American Resources Policy Network perspective is the inclusion of critical minerals (p. 54 ff) as an energy element:

By effectively including critical minerals as a component of a balanced energy portfolio, the Senator adds a new dimension to what has traditionally been a mix that was focused on oil, gas and coal, as well as occasionally nuclear energy.

Only a few days ago, American Resources Principal Daniel McGroarty highlighted some positive signs coming from the Obama Administration pointing increased focus on access to critical metals and minerals, but underscored that the “situation is actually more acute” in the Wall Street Journal (full article available to subscribers).

Hopefully these developments, coupled with the new national energy discourse Sen. Murkowski hopes to jumpstart with her blueprint, will lead to 2013 being the year in which the United States develops a coherent and comprehensive critical minerals strategy, the absence of which has serious consequences for our economy and nationals security.

It is safe to assume that our manufacturers have their fingers crossed.

If you think hard enough, you can find something wrong with anything. Case in point: If there’s anything remotely wrong with having an op-ed appear in the Wall Street Journal, it’s that, for some topics, sometimes 750 words just isn’t enough. So I’ll step back here to the Internet for a bit of prequel and (…) more

In a column for the Wall Street Journal, American Resources Policy Network president Dan McGroarty acknowledges some positive signs coming from the Obama Administration indicating an increased focus on access to critical metals and minerals, but underscores that the “situation is actually more acute.” Citing General Electric as an example of a manufacturer that uses (…) more

The following op-ed by American Resources Principal Dan McGroarty was published in the Wall Street Journal on January 31, 2013. The original text can be found here. America’s Growing Minerals Deficit The U.S. is now tied for last, with Papua New Guinea, in the time it takes to get a permit for a new mine. By (…) more

Industrial Minerals, the London-based intellectual home of one of our experts, Simon Moores, is hosting a conference on Lithium Supply & Markets in Las Vegas this week. Over the past few years, Lithium has seen increased attention due to its relevance in battery technology. Lithium Carbonate is a key component in the manufacture of Lithium-Ion (…) more

In an ongoing reaction to China’s restrictive mineral policies, countries are expanding their efforts to look for alternative supplies of sought-after commodities. Case in point is Japan, which in recent months has inked cooperative agreements with a number of other nations including India and Vietnam. Its most recent effort is focused on what is better (…) more

ProEdgeWire’s Graphite and Graphene Weekly Review sees surging demand for graphite and its derivative graphene, not least because of their important role in battery technology, where graphite continues to be a traditional component, while graphene is considered a major factor in future generation batteries. Recent reports of aircraft batteries catching fire won’t change that – (…) more

Wisconsin Reporter’s M.D. Kittle has picked up on our issues and has an article on watchdog.org this week. The piece explores the irony of the (often tech-savvy) environmentalist movement’s opposition to mining projects that produce the materials needed for green technologies. Citing American Resources principal Daniel McGroarty throughout his piece, Kittle outlines the challenges associated with (…) more

The global race for resources has countries look for new ways to meet their mineral resource needs. We’re now used to seeing headlines about mineral riches in the Arctic, beneath the ocean seabed, and even asteroid mining. The latest region in the cross-hairs is Antarctica, with – you guessed it – China aggressively pursuing its (…) more