A version of this story appeared in the daily Threat Status newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Threat Status delivered directly to your inbox each weekday.
OPINION:
Sometimes, the most important news doesn’t make the front page. On Dec. 3, China announced a ban on exporting the strategic critical minerals gallium, germanium and antimony to the United States. The ban on these little-known minerals could have untold consequences for both countries.
China’s announcement is more than just a shot across the bow; it threatens the economic security and national security of the United States. The incoming president and Congress must take quick and decisive action in response.
Antimony is used to make military technology including night-vision goggles, infrared sensors and bullets. Antimony is also used in starter batteries, which are used in tanks, howitzers and every vehicle on the road in the United States. These batteries start the vehicle and are responsible for the safety features of all vehicles: SUVs, ambulances, even Air Force One.
These are not the electric vehicle batteries everyone has been talking about — these are recycled, low-voltage, conventional batteries we have relied on for decades. Without these batteries, our economy would shut down within 90 days.
China has already largely succeeded in seizing control of many of the world’s critical minerals. China now controls more than half the world’s antimony. After seven decades of producing it at home, the United States stopped mining it in the late 1990s. We even send mined material to China for processing. Two-thirds of our antimony imports come from China, and this source is now gone.
Prices have risen dramatically since China’s declaration, including by 40% within 24 hours of the announcement. Prices will only continue to rise, with knock-on effects on carmakers, making President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to fight inflation more difficult.
The good news is that the United States dominates starter battery technology. For decades, the United States has run a closed-loop system of recycling starter batteries, making us highly resilient. Nearly 100% of every battery you turn in at an auto shop or other retailer goes right back into making a new battery.
It’s an American manufacturing miracle: The parts of the same battery can be recycled repeatedly for decades. This process keeps our supply chain around the corner rather than around the world, preserving valuable antimony in the United States and dramatically lowering the cost of making batteries domestically. It has been one of the greatest success stories in the history of American energy.
Mr. Trump and the new Republican Congress must ensure that this system stays up and running. Republicans are eager to slash government spending, but they need to be sure not to drive up the cost of American battery manufacturing. If battery prices rise too high or too fast, then we could face the real threat of China dumping cheap, poorly made batteries into our market in an attempt to bankrupt our companies. China has run this playbook before with other strategically significant industries like steel, and China will do it again if we let it.
Incoming Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and incoming Energy Secretary Chris Wright need to reopen America’s lone antimony mine in Idaho, a process that has already begun but needs to be accelerated as rapidly as possible. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, America was once more than 90% import-independent on antimony, and restoring this production is an immediate necessity and a short-term, stopgap solution to the problem.
Ultimately, the long-term solution will not be a matter of policy but technology. At my company, Wisconsin-based Clarios, we conduct research and development that could lead to a breakthrough that would make America independent of Chinese antimony. We are researching exciting possibilities, such as sodium-based batteries, which would reduce prices and eliminate the need for antimony in our battery system altogether.
This research, however, depends upon having the right policies in place, as it is largely funded by tax credits for battery recycling. Congress should not jeopardize this funding: If ever there was a time to increase it, it is now.
Mr. Trump ran successfully for reelection on a promise to restore American manufacturing, particularly in states like Wisconsin. America’s battery recycling system — which preserves American minerals and energy for American manufacturing — is the definition of America First and has kept us resilient, strong, and on the move for decades. Any proposal to raise battery prices should be a nonstarter.
• Adam Muellerweiss is president of the Responsible Battery Coalition.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.