While the administration was aware that the metals posed a vulnerability, the U.S. government does not have many viable alternatives for industry leaders now panicked that their supplies will dry up within months. Companies are in many cases relying on reserves. And they are looking for ways to sidestep the Chinese rules by reprocessing and recycling materials exempt from the ban from which small amounts of the rare earths can be extracted.
“Some companies have maybe 40 to 60 days of stock left,” said Zoe Oysul, a senior policy analyst at SAFE, a group that advocates for U.S. energy and supply-chain security. “If China does not approve their export contracts, they are concerned about whether they will be able to continue to manufacture when that stock is gone.”
Read the full article: “U.S. agencies alarmed by China’s curbs on exports of rare-earth minerals“
