Take this rare earth opportunity: Alaska can lead U.S. industry's resurrection

Last month, the state of Alaska convened a Strategic and Critical Minerals Summit in Fairbanks. More than 200 professionals were challenged by subject experts, government officials and industry leaders to expedite Alaska’s ability to become a globally dominant producer of the rare earth elements used in computers, sky lanterns, cars and exotic defense applications such as stealth fighters. Currently, China controls 97 percent of these elements worldwide.

The United States has many critical challenges, among them, minerals security. That was drilled into me in 2010, when I was privileged to attend the National Security Seminar at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle Barracks, Pa. We discussed the many elements of national security in the context of a constantly changing global dynamic: a world where Asia nurtures an aggressively growing giant, the Middle East abounds as a hotbed for terrorism, Europe lumbers ever more independently of U.S. interests and the Arctic is becoming increasingly accessible to all.

Rare earth elements are used in the manufacturing, defense, science and technology sectors all across the globe but primarily are supplied, and restricted, by one country that does not have the United States’ best interests in mind.

Gov. Sean Parnell referenced China in his response to the Department of Energy‘s Critical Minerals Strategy report earlier this year. He noted that “the United States is far behind China and other countries in the research and development of REEs and products. China recognized the importance of this area decades ago and still does: ‘Improve the development and application of rare earth, and change the resource advantage into economic superiority,’ said President Jiang Zemin.”

In a June 8 Congressional Research Service report, Valerie Bailey Grasso said “the ‘crisis’ for many policy makers is not that China has cut its rare earth exports and appears to be restricting the world’s access to rare earths, but that the United States has lost its domestic capacity to produce strategic and critical materials” (emphasis mine).

Optimistic words flowed at last month’s summit. The challenge is to have greater action. We cannot allow this to be China’s century by default by discouraging what has always been America’s strength: the ability, by blood, sweat and tears, to invent, innovate and out-manufacture the world.

If nothing else, should the rest of America lag, this should be Alaska’s century.

We in the Interior can involve ourselves as significant players in this play to provide a stable domestic supply of strategic and critical minerals. At the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Advanced Materials Group, several scientists, led by Shiva Hullavarad, propose to manufacture certain synthetic REEs for specific military applications. His efforts will result in a profound breakthrough, if successful, and should be supported by the state of Alaska and this local community.