{"id":15898,"date":"2024-12-28T06:10:56","date_gmt":"2024-12-28T06:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=15898"},"modified":"2024-12-28T06:10:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-28T06:10:56","slug":"mining-is-safer-cleaner-and-more-ethical-in-america-so-why-do-environmentalists-stand-in-the-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/?p=15898","title":{"rendered":"Mining Is Safer, Cleaner, and More Ethical in America. So Why Do Environmentalists Stand in the Way?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“America needs minerals like copper and silver to make things. Even President Joe Biden made a speech<\/a> saying America will need 400-600 percent more such minerals to make “solar panels, wind turbines, and so much more!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An iPhone alone requires aluminum, iron, lithium, gold, copper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when investors dare try to dig up such minerals in America, the NRDC objects and uses political connections to stop them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty years ago, entrepreneurs tried to open a mine in Alaska. Before they even got the application in, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) vetoed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because groups like the NRDC say the mine “would be a catastrophic threat to the wildlife and\u2026fragile ecosystem.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They get their way because when Democrats run the EPA, they not only support NRDC’s positions, they even hire NRDC employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next Republican administration removed the EPA’s veto. The Army Corps of Engineers then studied the mine and concluded that it wasn’t an environmental threat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, is Pebble a bustling mine today? No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats got elected and vetoed it again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Physicist Mark Mills wonders<\/a> why anyone would try to open a mine in America today. “Why in the world would you put millions, maybe billions of dollars at risk, spending those decades to get a permit, knowing there’s a very good chance they’ll just cancel a permit? How in the world do you build mines in America knowing that that’s the landscape you have?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, you don’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

America now ranks<\/a> second to last in the time it takes to develop a new mine\u2014roughly 29 years. Only Zambia is worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You start applying for permits,” says Mills, “You’re going to be waiting not months, not years, but decades!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting while the NRDC sues and runs frightening anti-mine ads, saying nature will be “destroyed by a 2,000-foot gaping hole in the ground!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mills points out their deceit. Today’s mines disturb “a tiny infinitesimal pinprick in the landscape” and we do need to disturb the landscape a little, because “we need metals and materials and minerals to build everything that exists to make society possible!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I confronted NRDC spokesman Bob Deans, saying the NRDC killing mines also kills people’s opportunity. He responded that “clean” energy creates jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We created 50,000 new jobs in this country, putting up wind turbines, solar panels, building the next generation of energy efficient cars. This is where the future is!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But also, you need copper and gold,” I point out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That’s right,” says Deans, “And we have to weigh those risks.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the NRDC doesn’t weigh the risks. They just oppose American mines.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/reason.com\/2024\/11\/20\/mining-is-safer-cleaner-and-more-ethical-in-america-so-why-do-environmentalists-stand-in-the-way<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“America needs minerals like copper and silver to make things. Even President Joe Biden made a speech saying America will need 400-600 percent more such minerals to make “solar panels, wind turbines, and so much more!”<\/p>\n

An iPhone alone requires aluminum, iron, lithium, gold, copper.<\/p>\n

But when investors dare try to dig up such minerals in America, the NRDC objects and uses political connections to stop them.<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, entrepreneurs tried to open a mine in Alaska. Before they even got the application in, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) vetoed it.<\/p>\n

Why? Because groups like the NRDC say the mine “would be a catastrophic threat to the wildlife and\u2026fragile ecosystem.”<\/p>\n

They get their way because when Democrats run the EPA, they not only support NRDC’s positions, they even hire NRDC employees.<\/p>\n

The next Republican administration removed the EPA’s veto. The Army Corps of Engineers then studied the mine and concluded that it wasn’t an environmental threat.<\/p>\n

So, is Pebble a bustling mine today? No.<\/p>\n

Democrats got elected and vetoed it again.<\/p>\n

Physicist Mark Mills wonders why anyone would try to open a mine in America today. “Why in the world would you put millions, maybe billions of dollars at risk, spending those decades to get a permit, knowing there’s a very good chance they’ll just cancel a permit? How in the world do you build mines in America knowing that that’s the landscape you have?”<\/p>\n

Well, you don’t.<\/p>\n

America now ranks second to last in the time it takes to develop a new mine\u2014roughly 29 years. Only Zambia is worse.<\/p>\n

“You start applying for permits,” says Mills, “You’re going to be waiting not months, not years, but decades!”<\/p>\n

Waiting while the NRDC sues and runs frightening anti-mine ads, saying nature will be “destroyed by a 2,000-foot gaping hole in the ground!”<\/p>\n

Mills points out their deceit. Today’s mines disturb “a tiny infinitesimal pinprick in the landscape” and we do need to disturb the landscape a little, because “we need metals and materials and minerals to build everything that exists to make society possible!”<\/p>\n

I confronted NRDC spokesman Bob Deans, saying the NRDC killing mines also kills people’s opportunity. He responded that “clean” energy creates jobs.<\/p>\n

“We created 50,000 new jobs in this country, putting up wind turbines, solar panels, building the next generation of energy efficient cars. This is where the future is!”<\/p>\n

“But also, you need copper and gold,” I point out.<\/p>\n

“That’s right,” says Deans, “And we have to weigh those risks.”<\/p>\n

But the NRDC doesn’t weigh the risks. They just oppose American mines.”<\/p>\n

https:\/\/reason.com\/2024\/11\/20\/mining-is-safer-cleaner-and-more-ethical-in-america-so-why-do-environmentalists-stand-in-the-way\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[103,797,2147,236,551,619],"class_list":["post-15898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-share","tag-environment","tag-industry","tag-mining","tag-regulation","tag-regulations","tag-united-states"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15898"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15898\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15899,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15898\/revisions\/15899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lonecandle.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}