When it comes to environmentalism, and leftists in general, the feel-good, self-righteous emotions of the moment frequently trump the details and even the potential consequences. Details and consequences are things to be dealt with later, preferably by someone else.
Green technology usually requires the use of certain metals, such as cobalt, zinc, lithium, copper, graphite, nickel, and molybdenum. Those, of course, have to be mined. And since in Joe Biden’s America your kid needs to submit an environmental impact statement before he builds a sand castle at the beach, mining is not one of those things upon which the administration and its cronies tend to smile.
In a story reported by Fox News, Biden’s administration has created regulatory obstacles to mining copper, molybdenum, and lithium in states such as Nevada, Arizona, and Alaska. Also of note:
Earlier this year, the Department of the Interior canceled two existing hardrock mineral leases in the mineral-rich Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota and announced that it would move forward with a 20-year ban on new mining projects in the region, citing environmental reasons.
The projects contained about 88% of the nation’s cobalt reserves and had a project labor agreement in place for the site to be unionized.
So, since we cannot mine these metals and minerals in the U.S., where they are so abundant, where, oh where shall we get these things that are necessary for wind turbines, electric car batteries, and all of the other wonderful technologies that will ensure our survival? Don’t worry, Joe’s on it.
Fox said that the administration has brokered a deal to finance mining operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed a memorandum of understanding with the two countries on Tuesday. So, to steal a phrase from Dune, the cobalt will flow. And yes, that means no U.S. mining jobs. Ditto for revenue for states. But there is another concern: mainly that the DRC is known for using child labor.
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Investigations done by UNICEF and Amnesty International uncovered the fact that around 40,000 children work in the mines in the southern part of the DRC. They may labor for 12 hours every day, hauling anywhere between 44 to 88 pounds of lithium up out of the mines on their backs. They often go without food and make around $1.00 to $2.00 US each day. The cobalt dust irritates their skin, and since they have no masks, the children breathe in the dust, which could eventually be fatal. I am not sure how this deal is better than employing Americans to work in mines at living wages with OSHA regulations. But that is one of those things we’ll work out later, right?
After all, the White House is solving our energy problem and the Green New Deal is becoming a reality. Democrats and environmentalists can gaze with pride at the solar panels and wind farms and boast about their EVs. The fact that children in the DRC are being worked to death and trying to live with their lungs full of cobalt dust is something best not thought about – we don’t want to harsh that green vibe.
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