Minerals: Made in America

For those who thought that jobs were leaving the country and were never to come back – think again.

NPR reports on U.S. companies that are “reshoring,” the business practice of bringing jobs back to America.

General Electric, for example, used to outsource production to China, but climbing transportation costs and rising wages overseas made GE rethink both their production and design.

Harry Moser, president of the Reshoring Initiative, explains how domestic minerals production can contribute to the manufacturing renaissance:

“A strong, stable minerals and metals supply chain is imperative to continued domestic manufacturing growth. Without the raw materials needed for production, a company cannot affordably reshore operations.”

Despite the fact that many of the most in demand minerals are right under our feet, the United States is now more reliant on foreign sources for minerals than ever before. As the number of minerals in a computer chip increased from 12 to 60, the U.S. grew 100 percent import reliant from seven to 19 minerals commodities. 

An outdated permitting process impedes access to our $6.2 trillion worth of mineral reserves, hindering our competitive edge and hurting the growth of domestic manufacturing.

Streamlining the federal permitting process would provide the stable supply chain that manufacturers need, mitigate export ban issues and create an environment for more success stories like GE in Kentucky and Apple in Arizona.