Energy & Environment — Granholm: US 'concerned' about China's role in mineral supply chain

Presented by Ceres — "We do not want to be over-reliant on countries whose values we may not share."

View Online Energy & Environment Energy & Environment   PRESENTED BY  The Big Story  US 'very concerned' about China's hold on mineral supply chain: Granholm  Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm issued a warning Wednesday about China's hold on the mineral supply chain, saying the U.S. is "very concerned." © AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib "It's one of the pieces of the supply chain that we're very concerned about in the United States," Granholm told CNBC . "We do not want to be over-reliant on countries whose values we may not share."   China makes up 60 percent of the world's rare earth mineral production and 85 percent of its mineral processing. Minerals are needed for the production of some climate-friendly energy technologies including electric vehicle batteries and solar panels.   Mining is a sticky issue for Democrats , who have historically fought to protect people and nature from mining's harms such as pollution and land degradation. However, those on the left have also supported the fight against climate change — which is expected to require the use of the minerals.   Granholm also told CNBC that the U.S. was in the process of updating regulations to better support "sustainable and efficient" mining. She said the U.S. would also partner with nations such as Australia and Canada on the issue.   "We know all countries want to ensure that we have a critical stockpile of critical minerals and that we are allowed to diversify the supplies of those stockpiles," she told CNBC in Paris, on the sidelines of the International Energy Agency's 2024 Ministerial Meeting. "Both internationally and domestically, this is a focus of ours."   Read more at TheHill.com. Welcome to The Hill's Energy & Environment newsletter, we're Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will affect the energy and environment sectors now and in the future: House bill would connect Texas's ERCOT with national grid Reps. Greg Casar (D-Texas) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have introduced legislation that would connect Texas's self-contained grid with the rest of the nation, three years after extreme winter weather knocked out the grid and killed hundreds of Texans.  Full Story Americans are fleeing cities with air pollution: report More Americans are moving away from cities with severe air pollution than in the past, according to a report from real estate site Redfin.   Full Story Erratic weather fueled by climate change will worsen locust outbreaks, study finds Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with human-caused climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a new study has found.  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Farm Bill tensions ramp up over conservation, fire and food aid Leaders of both parties are calling on Congress to quickly pass a revised Farm Bill before funds run out this summer — but tensions are re-emerging over the key ideological divide that helped scuttle … Full Story A MESSAGE FROM CERES What We're Reading  News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics: The uninsurable world: what climate change is costing homeowners (The Financial Times)   A Collapse of the Amazon Could Be Coming 'Faster Than We Thought' (The New York Times) How the US government began its decade-long campaign against the anti-pipeline movement (Grist/Type Investigations) On Tap  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The House Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs will hold an Oversight Hearing Thursday on "Economic Diversification to Create Prosperous Tribal Economies" The House Homeland Security Committee's Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology will hold a hearing titled "Examining Fire Hazards: Lithium-Ion Batteries and Other Threats to Fire Safety" The House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials will hold a hearing titled "Safeguarding American Prosperity and Peoples Livelihoods: Legislation to Modernize Air Quality Standards" The House Natural Resources Committee's Oversight Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled "Bidenomics & Land Management: The Misguided National Strategy to Develop Environmental Economic Decisions" What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Speaker Johnson on national security threat: 'There is no need for public alarm' Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said "there is no need for public alarm" after House Intelligence Committee Chair Mike Turner (R-Ohio) called on President Biden to declassify information about a "serious national security threat." Read more Supreme Court to confront 14th Amendment disqualification — and not just Trump's  Former President Trump isn't the only public official whose disqualification under the 14th Amendment's insurrection ban has landed at the Supreme Court.  Read more   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Energy & Environment page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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