Rare Earth Elements in National Defense: Background, Oversight Issues, and Options for Congress
Abstract
Some Members of Congress have expressed concern over U.S. acquisition of rare earth materials composed of rare earth elements used in various components of defense weapon systems. Rare earth elements consist of 17 elements on the periodic table, including 15 elements beginning with atomic number 57 (lanthanum) and extending through number 71 (lutetium), as well as two other elements having similar properties (yttrium and scandium). These are referred to as rare because although relatively abundant in total quantity, they appear in low concentrations in the earth s crust and extraction and processing is both difficult and costly. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the United States was the leader in global rare earth production. Since then, production has shifted almost entirely to China, in part due to lower labor costs and lower environmental standards. Some estimates are that China now produces about 90- 95% of the world s rare earth oxides and is the majority producer of the world s two strongest magnets, samarium cobalt (SmCo) and neodymium iron boron (NeFeB) permanent, rare earth magnets. In the United States, Molycorp, a Mountain Pass, CA mining company, recently announced the purchase of Neo Material Technologies. Neo Material Technologies makes specialty materials from rare earths at factories based in China and Thailand. Molycorp also announced the start of its new heavy rare earth production facilities, Project Phoenix, which will process rare earth oxides from ore mined from the Mountain Pass facilities. In 2010, a series of events and press reports highlighted what some referred to as the rare earth crisis. Some policymakers were concerned that China had cut its rare earth exports and appeared to be restricting the world s access to rare earths, with a nearly total U.S. dependence on China for rare earth elements, including oxides, phosphors, metals, alloys, and magnets.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 17, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA590410
Entities
People
- Valerie B. Grasso
Organizations
- Library of Congress