Critical Mineral Consistency Act of 2024
Floor Speech
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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, hailing from the great State of Minnesota, Minnesota has the most mineral wealth of any State in our Nation with the exception of Alaska.
I have heard my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about how they support mining. I disagree that they support mining.
Do you know why, Mr. Speaker?
It is because this administration, Mr. Speaker, hasn't opened up one mine and, again, not one mine in the United States of America under the Biden administration. They say they support mining so long as it never happens.
Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, any mining done in the United States of America must follow our environmental standards and our labor standards.
It was mentioned moments ago about the Chinese Communist Party. I want to bring one more mineral. It is antimony. One month ago, the Communist country of China stopped exporting antimony to the United States, antimony that is made for semiconductors, antimony that is used in our explosive devices for our military, antimony that is used for our medical instrument devices manufactured here in the United States.
We have antimony mines in the United States potentially if we are allowed to mine them.
Furthermore, in the Inflation Reduction Act, the $7.4 billion, Mr. Speaker, that was put toward electric charging stations, we have got 11 of them. The government has actually installed 11 charging stations for EV vehicles across this Nation. They were $7.4 billion.
Furthermore, the Democrats and this administration have removed the Buy American requirements for those charging stations.
Do you know why, Mr. Speaker?
It is because they won't let us mine here, and the percentage of minerals needed to meet the IRA demands can't be met unless we mine here in the United States of America.
Mining is our past, our present, and our future. Mr. Speaker, not only has this administration stopped mining in Minnesota, but they have stopped it in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, California, and Pennsylvania. The list goes on and on.
This is the most antimining administration in the history of this country, and we are going to suffer for it. Right now, we need antimony to replenish our ammunition. We are struggling right now. That is why the Biden administration's USGS supports this H.R. 8446, the Critical Mineral Consistency Act introduced by my good friend, Mr. Ciscomani from Arizona. He understands.
We have to have the political will in this country, Mr. Speaker, to be able to mine here safely under our regulations. We need permitting reform, which is going to allow us to mine here, process here, and manufacture here, right here in America using our jobs, our economy, and our workers, which is going to benefit our economy, our communities, and our strategic national security.
Why would anybody not want to mine in this country using the best environmental standards and the best labor standards in the world?
They are caving to the radical left, the antimining stance of their party. On January 20, the Americans are going to see a different attitude toward extracting these minerals that we are blessed with in this great country. We are blessed with these minerals.
No other country is like us, no other country. If we have the political will to meet these needs, then we can do it.
Mr. Speaker, I stand strongly in support of H.R. 8446. I stand strongly in support of domestic mining.
Again, Mr. Speaker, I want to remind you and others this is the most antimining administration in the history of this country, and it is going to end. We have to hold our strategic national security in the palm of our own hands. I will be doggone if I am going to allow China to control our destiny or other foreign nations.
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