American Resources Policy Network

American Resources Policy Network is thrilled to announce that we are co-sponsoring
the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) conference: “Rare Earths, Critical
Metals, Energy and National Security” on November 2, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

The conference will discuss the link between rare earths, critical metals, energy, and national security. Although rare earths and critical metals have begun to attract attention for their high-tech and green-tech applications, this is the first metals conference to focus explicitly on the national security implications of resource supply.

Featured speakers will include Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski, and Colorado Congressmen Doug Lamborn and Mike Coffman.  American Resources expert Gareth Hatch will present on the Rare Earths panel, while Dan McGroarty will moderate the Specialty Metals panel, building out from the Rare Earths to the broader group of rare metals with strategic value.

“Rare Earths, Critical Metals, Energy and National Security” will take place at the Capitol Hill Hyatt Regency in Washington D.C on November 2nd. To register to attend, please contact NCPA’s Carolyn Needham at: 202.220.3195 or Carolyn.needham@ncpa.org

CopperMatters.org Shows that Resource Dependency goes beyond Rare Earth Elements

Washington, D.C. – The American Resources Policy Network announced today that it would expand on its messaging in favor of exploring the available non-fuel resources in America by launching a campaign for copper, antimony, and lithium – elements readily available in the country, yet not adequately developed.

“We have consistently argued that America’s metals and minerals dependency, which threatens our strategic and economic future, stretches well beyond exotic high-tech metals like rare earths,” said ARPN’s Daniel McGroarty. “It also impacts other mineral resources, including mainstay industrial metals.”

In the coming months, American Resources will embark on an informational campaign to highlight the breadth of the nation’s metals and minerals needs by drilling down into three critically important elements that exemplify America’s unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, dependence on foreign resources.

More about copper, antimony, and lithium:

Copper:

• A mainstay metal that continues to be a critical material in electronics, the construction industry, durable goods, hybrid vehicles, and military applications.
• According to the USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries, there are 550 million tons of copper in identified and undiscovered resources in the U.S.
• In 1993, America’s net import dependency rate for copper stood at only 7 percent; today, that number is closer to 30 percent.

Antimony:

• The use of antimony dates back to ancient times, when it was primarily utilized for medicinal purposes. Today, it is a key component in micro-electronics, and has many diversified uses for commercial and military applications.
• While significant deposits of minable antimony exist in the U.S., our import dependency rate for antimony is 93 percent, with China reportedly contributing around 90 percent of global output.
• The supply challenges associated with the versatile mineral against the background of surging demand have made antimony the top-ranked critical mineral on the British Geological Survey’s new Risk List 2011.

Lithium:

• An element with important utility for our energy needs, our import dependency rate stands at 43 percent, in spite of the fact that identified lithium resources in the United States total 4 million tons.
• Much of the world’s current supply comes from Chile, Argentina, and China, making potential supply disruptions a cause of concern.

The campaign will launch with the start of  what American Resources is deeming “Copper Month” on October 1, 2011.

“We will be dedicating an entire month to the discussion of copper-related issues,” says McGroarty. “To support our efforts, we have launched a microsite – an informational hub – that provides insight into copper’s many utilities, the role it plays in the generation of economic growth, social well-being and economic security, and any associated challenges.”

The American Resources’ “Copper Month” of October will be followed by “Antimony Month” and “Lithium Month” respectively, so stay tuned for upcoming spotlighting efforts on our blog, our Facebook page, and on Twitter. Please visit www.CopperMatters.org to learn more about the importance of this critical metal.

With the global race for resources heating up, industry, policy makers and consumers alike cannot afford to ignore the United States’ looming resource deficit.  We hope that through our “drill-down” efforts will we’re doing our part to help draw attention to the issues at hand.

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The American Resource Policy Network is a Carmot Strategic Group venture. For more information, visit www.americanresources.org or contact Director of Research Sandra Wirtz at americanresourcespn@gmail.com.

American Resources introduced itself to Capitol Hill staff this week, briefing Senate staff on Tuesday followed by a House briefing Wednesday.  I was joined by Laura Skaer of the Northwest Mining Association (NWMA), Betty Gibbs of the Mining & Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA), and Izzy LaBranch of NWMA’s “The More  You Dig” initiative. During [...]

In an interview with The Critical Metals Report, analyst Rick Mills shares his thoughts on how cobalt is the “king of critical metals.” Increasingly indispensable as an industrial metal, in the development of green technologies, and in various critical defense applications, cobalt is one of only four metals or element groups to make all three recently [...]

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If you haven’t had the chance to visit our experts page yet, we’d like for you to meet two of the people who joined the American Resources panel of thought leaders and industry experts from the very start. Gareth Hatch is a founding principal of Technology Metals Research, LLC.  An authority in the area of [...]

We have been fortunate to be able to announce several additions to the American Resources panel of experts recently, and this week is no exception: Dr. Robert Latiff, a retired U.S Air Force Major General, is Research Professor and Director of the Intelligence and Security Research Center at George Mason University.  In May, Dr. Latiff [...]

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We’re thrilled to announce that Fred McMahon and Jean-Francois Minardi from the Canada-based Fraser Institute have joined the ARPN expert panel. McMahon is Vice-President of Research, International, at the Fraser Institute, and, among other things, co-author of the Fraser Institute’s annual Survey of Mining Companies.  Minardi is Associate Director of the institute’s Global Natural Resource [...]