Local View: Mineral shortages, permitting violations put ‘net zero’ out of reach – Duluth News Tribune

In one of his first acts as governor, Tim Walz used the rulemaking process to force Minnesota auto dealers to buy and stock thousands of electric vehicles — even if they had no customers willing to buy. The Minnesota Environmental Defense Center, a Walz ally, projects electric vehicle sales will increase 200% because of the new rule.

But one important question remains unanswered: Are there enough minerals in the world to support the electric vehicle boom?

The answer is no. A new report released by the Center for the American Experiment warns sharply that the minerals needed to achieve so-called net-zero emissions policies are either in short supply, made unavailable due to permitted delays and over-regulation, or controlled by our geopolitical enemies . , especially China.

The report, “Mission Impossible: Mineral Shortages and Broken Permitting Put Net Zero Goals Unachievable,” provides a sober assessment of the amount of minerals that will be needed to meet international, national, and even local goals (like Walz’s “clean water”). -automotive mandate) to source more and more energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar and move to electric vehicles.

Using data from a variety of sources (including the International Energy Agency (IEA), the US Geological Survey and the Electric Power Research Institute), the report “does the math” on the striking differences between supply and demand for minerals including copper, lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths – which are essential to achieving net zero targets.

Data shows that electric vehicles and the lithium-ion batteries that power them create much of the growing demand for minerals, calling into question the wisdom of the current push for full electrification of the transportation sector. According to the report, approximately 115% more copper will need to be mined between now and 2050 than has ever been mined in human history just to meet business-as-usual demands. Global electrification of vehicles will require the development of additional mines by 55% compared to the baseline. The need for increased mining production is urgent and compelling.

Did someone say more mining? This should be music to the ears of residents of the Northland and Iron Range of Minnesota. The Duluth Complex, a massive rock formation stretching from Duluth to Pigeon Point in northern Minnesota, contains some of the world’s largest unmined deposits of copper, nickel, platinum group elements and ilmenite (titanium ore), as well as cobalt and gold. and silver. According to New Range Copper and Nickel, the Duluth complex is one of the world’s largest undeveloped mineral deposits, containing 95% of US nickel resources, 88% of US cobalt resources and 33% of US copper resources. And remember, Minnesota has one of the most stringent and comprehensive environmental regulatory programs governing proposed mining projects of any state in the United States. We have both the minerals and the safety measures in place to transport them safely to the rest of the world.

Unfortunately, President Joe Biden’s administration has prevented the timely development of two world-class copper, nickel and cobalt deposits in Minnesota that could reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign minerals and provide some key minerals needed to achieve energy transition goals. .

“Leaders like Joe Biden and Tim Walz create these unattainable energy transition goals and then immediately sabotage them by denying permits and banning mining on millions of acres of public lands,” said Sarah Montalbano of the Center for the American Experiment, a co-author of the project. talk with national mining expert Debra Strusaker.

Citing the Government Accountability Office’s 2024 report, another major issue raised in the report is the United States’ dependence on China for the supply of minerals used in five key sectors that underpin every aspect of modern life: aerospace, defense, energy, telecommunications and electronic. and transport. Continued dependence on China to supply minerals essential to our national security and economic well-being is both dangerous and unsustainable.

Everyone assumes that electric cars will soon be everywhere. But for this to happen, domestic mineral production must increase. Minnesota could write the next chapter in our mining history by becoming an important and environmentally responsible producer of copper, nickel, cobalt and other minerals. We just need leaders in St. Paul and Washington. DC to get out of the way.

Bill Walsh is the director of communications for the Center for the American Experiment (AmericanExperiment.org), a conservative public policy think tank based in Golden Valley, Minnesota. He wrote about this for the News Tribune.