Balancing Green Tech and Mineral Needs
May 13, 2022
As expanding solar, wind, and battery technologies will require greater production of various critical minerals, several members of Congress have introduced legislation to tighten environmental and economic rules for US mining companies. In this vein, Mark P. Mills argues in Issues that the unavoidable scale of materials demand will have significant impact on both commerce and the environment. “Most policy formulations fail to account for these implications,” he writes. “The country is long overdue for thoughtful and realistic planning that honestly acknowledges the tradeoffs and consequences arising from the materials needed to accelerate what is being called the energy transition.”