rare earths

As China continues its geopolitical rare earths power play, Japan and India are the latest countries to partner in an attempt to offset China’s near total supply monopoly.  According to the Asia News Network, the foreign ministers of the two countries agreed in late October to promote the joint development of the critical minerals at the private level.   In line with an agreement reached during a state visit last year, the two countries will move ahead with a joint development of rare earth deposits in India.

Avalon Rare Metals Inc., a mineral exploration and development company primarily focused on rare earth deposits in Canada, is broadening its scope following a request from an “unnamed international industrial minerals company.”

According to a press release issued by the company on October 20th, Avalon may partner with the international company to develop minerals on two promising feldspar and lithium exploration projects, provided that sample analyses from the two sites return positive results.

While it is currently unknown whether the “international industrial minerals company” is a privately or publicly-held, or is in any way state-funded, the diversification of Avalon Rare Metals Inc.’s portfolio at its request is a timely reminder that end-users are often the first to feel resource scarcity — an early-warning to U.S. policymakers to consider the importance of domestic resource development.

As we close off Copper Month, if you needed proof that copper is more than a metal limited to industrial-era uses, here it is: The Copper Development Association (CDA) is working with several international companies to develop new AC induction motors with copper rotors that would enable manufacturers to build electric vehicles (EVs) without permanent magnets [...]

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 [...]

In another indicator that access to critical metals is rising to the level of national strategic policy – and transforming the typical travel itineraries for Heads of State – German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, visited Mongolia this week to ink a development deal to accelerate Mongolian rare earths mining.  The German Government is being spurred on by mega [...]

October is here – and so is Copper Month. We’re kicking off our informational campaign to highlight the breadth of our nation’s metals and minerals needs by drilling down into the many utilities of and challenges associated with copper – a mainstay industrial metal that has more in common with the often-discussed rare earth elements  [...]

Worried about China’s ongoing rare earths stranglehold and further cutbacks of exports, Japan looks to diversify its rare earths supply basis. While a delegation of Japanese business leaders recently urged China to ensure a stable supply to Japan, the Japanese government is stepping up its efforts to find alternative sources for the sought-after commodity. In [...]

In an effort to secure access to critical metals and minerals, Germany’s national industrial association, the Federation of German Industry (BDI) is exploring the formation of a “globally active profit-oriented raw materials corporation.” As the German monthly Manager Magazin reports, the envisioned procurement trust, which companies like chemicals maker Evonik and auto manufacturer Daimler have [...]

A weaker-than-expected jobs report in the U.S. has seen the price of gold soar once again.   Gold’s surge and paper currency’s weakness may be related to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s plans to shift up to $6.3 billion in U.S. dollars, euros and pounds sterling to banks in China, Russia and Brazil, and to repatriate almost [...]

Reuters reports that concern over the supply shortage of key Rare Earths elements has led policymakers in the U.S., the EU and Japan to schedule an early October meeting in Washington.  According to a U.S. Government source: Experts and officials will discuss …how to team up to develop high-tech goods – such as electric car [...]