Trump needs to reverse Biden’s restrictions on America’s resources
President-elect Donald Trump has a tremendous opportunity to dismantle the environmental roadblocks erected by the Biden-Harris administration against America’s energy industry. However, there is also a lot of work ahead to achieve this goal.
The current administration’s policies aimed at strengthening the supply of critical minerals for wind and solar energy production have inadvertently hindered the achievement of their green energy goals. President Biden and VP Kamala Harris failed to recognize that their restrictive policies made it impossible to achieve their net-zero ambitions.
Furthermore, the United States’ reliance on mineral imports and a broken permitting process pose significant risks to our electric grid, national security, and economy.
A recent report by the Center of the American Experiment highlights the increasing demand for minerals used in renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles, driven by government mandates. For example, the world will need 115% more copper by 2050 to meet current demands.
However, China dominates the mining and processing of critical minerals, demonstrating a willingness to withhold them from the United States. Despite abundant mineral resources in the US, current regulations and policies make it nearly impossible to develop domestic resources.
The permitting process under the National Environmental Policy Act is lengthy, litigious, and politicized, hindering the development of infrastructure projects, energy technologies, and mines. This system keeps the US dependent on foreign countries for essential resources and goods.
Efforts are being made in Congress to reform the permitting process, with bipartisan acknowledgment that changes are necessary to support the economy, military, and energy transition.
President Trump has the opportunity to reverse harmful rules that restrict development on public lands and promote the development of domestic mineral projects to achieve national security and economic stability. By supporting these initiatives, the US can move towards energy and mineral independence.
Debra Struhsacker and Sarah Montalbano co-authored the Center of the American Experiment’s report “Mission Impossible: Mineral Shortages and the Broken Permitting Process Put Net Zero Goals Out of Reach.”
