March 16, 2012

Executive Order - National Defense Resources Preparedness

Immediately following the wrap up of TREM12 last week, President Obama, acting in his capacity as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United State of America, has signed an executive order on resources preparedness.

It is the policy of the president that "The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency.  The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness.  The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to the national defense needs of the United States."

TUESDAY MARCH 13 2012

Murkowski Delivers Keynote Address at TREM Conference

Calls for Energy Committee to Report Legislation to Update Federal Minerals Policy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, today delivered the keynote address at the Technology and Rare Earth Metals (TREM) Center’s 12th Annual Conference.  The Senator’s remarks highlighted the importance of domestic mineral production and the urgent need to update federal policies in this area.

“There is no question that a stable and affordable supply of minerals is critical to America’s future competitiveness. And yet – despite that – our mineral-related capabilities have been slipping for decades,” Murkowski said. “Rare earths garner most of the headlines, but we are 100 percent dependent on foreign sources of 17 other minerals and more than 50 percent dependent on foreign sources for some 25 more. For years, the government has been content to report on those facts – without doing much to change them.”

The IAGS TREM Center is pleased to announce that the agenda for TREM12 has been updated. Click here to see the agenda.

TREM12 Policy Conference:

Critical Materials for Energy & Defense

March 13-14, 2012 in Washington DC

Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City 
1250 South Hayes Street,
Arlington, VA,
United States

For the energy and security industries, the age of austerity has arrived, and the impact to the resource sector is significant. Commodity prices fluctuate wildly, and the future is shrouded in uncertainty.

Growth in the renewable energy sector is slowing. "We can see as much as a 50 percent reduction in renewable energy projects" said a representative of The American Council on Renewable Energy.

The President has said no (for now) to energy resources from Canada, and China fears the impact to its economy as European demand crumbles. Meanwhile, the Japanese government and companies are investing heavily into mitigating raw material risks.

Gain insight into the future by hearing executives, experts and policymakers in areas of mining, energy, transportation and defense, revealing the strategies  to developing a secure and diverse supply of renewable energy.

Click here to see the agenda, and come back often to see how it develops!

Rare earths to secure our energy future

By Augustin Boey, Melissa Low and Samir Nazir, Energy Studies Institute

1 November 2011

(Picture credit: EMA)

Reflecting on SIEW 2011's theme--"Securing our Energy Future"—Mr Yaron Vorona, Director of the Technology & Rare Earth Metals Centre at the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security (IAGS TREM Centre), highlighted critical linkages between energy security and access to rare earths. Just as oil-importing nations are dependent upon a few politically-volatile countries, he said energy insecurity is engendered by the control of the vast majority of the world's rare earth reserves by just a few countries.

Mr Vorona added that the relationship between energy security and access to rare earths has become increasingly intertwined over the past few decades due to the move towards cleaner technologies (since rare earths have become a ubiquitous component in a wide range of products from cars to solar panels and from magnets to common batteries). There is also China's rise since the 1980s as the prime producer of rare metals and the consequent geopolitical power that this has conferred on the country.