Draft Bill to Address US Mineral Reliance on China

A new rare earth minerals plant may be just the beginning—as the U.S. strives to counter China's mineral market dominance. The House Armed Services Committee released draft legislation last week, addressing a mineral called antimony. The mineral is essential for producing military gear and weapons from night vision goggles to bullets to nuclear arms. China produces more antimony than any other nation worldwide. And ranking second: Russia. The U.S. has no domestic mine for the mineral on home soil. The United States has relied almost entirely on China—and to a lesser extent Russia—in recent years to procure a critical mineral that is vital to producing ammunition.