Strong minerals supply essential to automobile industry

NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn and Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, penned an op-ed in The Tennessean underlining the importance of minerals to manufacturing—especially in the automobile industry. Emphasizing the tie between the two industries, Bainwol and Quinn noted that “minerals are the building blocks of virtually every vehicle on the road.” From the lithium and nickel used in hybrid car batteries to the aluminum and steel used to make car bodies, minerals are essential to auto manufacturing.

However, the two industry executives also noted that despite the more than $6 trillion worth of mineral resources available domestically, the United States “relies on imported minerals to meet more than half of our manufacturing needs.” And in order to continue supporting the American manufacturing industry—as well as other nationwide industries that are dependent on a secure supply of minerals—Bainwol and Quinn pointed toward the importance of sensible policies to address minerals supply threats, including the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2011. As Bainwol and Quinn note, this legislation “is a good start” that “would lead to increased production of domestic minerals by enacting a detailed assessment of the mining permitting process and U.S. mineral needs and resources.”

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