Catch-22: Senate Democrats Must Accept Mining Is Necessary for Green Technology

Last Thursday, House Republicans--with the support of a handful of Democrats, and no support from the White House--passed the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. The Act is an important first step to getting past the U.S. environmental movement’s grave misunderstanding when it comes to the relationship between metal mining and America’s green energy future. Now it is up to the Democrat-controlled Senate, which is not expected to pass the new law. 

Here is why it must.
Ask any environmentally-minded person to describe the future they hope for our planet, and you tend to get pretty much the same answer. Our primary energy sources will be non-polluting, sustainable technologies such as wind and solar. Our remaining reliance on oil, coal and gas will be limited to highly efficient non-polluting power generation systems such as fuel cells and hybrid electric motors. Wasteful technologies and equipment will be replaced with advanced energy efficient high technologies and equipment, e.g. 20^th Century incandescent lighting will be replaced with 21^st Century LED lighting. No surprises.

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