Biden turns to country with documented child labor issues for green energy mineral supplies: 'It's egregious'

[Leroy N. Soetoro]

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-turns-country-documented-child-
labor-green-energy-mineral-supplies-its-egregious

The Biden administration opened the door to financing mining projects in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia to bolster the
global green energy supply chain as it pushes ahead with its climate
agenda, despite the DRC's documented issues with child laborers being used
in such mines.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken entered into the agreement Tuesday,
signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the two nations and
lauding their work improving the electric vehicle battery supply chain.
During a signing ceremony, Blinken said the "future" was happening, given
the importance of cobalt for manufacturing electric vehicles.

"I really want to commend the DRC and Zambia, their governments for their
leadership and vision in developing an electric vehicle battery council,"
Blinken said Tuesday. "This is the future, and it is happening in the DRC
and in Zambia."

DRC foreign minister Stanley Kakubo added during the event that his
country was committed to actualizing the deal "in a hurry."

GREEN ENERGY PROJECTS FACE STARK ENVIRONMENTAL, LOCAL OPPOSITION
NATIONWIDE

Green energy technologies like electric vehicle batteries, solar panels
and wind turbines require a massive expansion of cobalt, copper, lithium,
nickel, graphite, zinc and other mineral production. The vast majority of
mining and processing of such materials, though, takes place outside the
U.S., making the nation more reliant on foreign minerals despite its large
domestic resources.

In 2021, the DRC alone mined more than 70% of the global supply of cobalt,
while the U.S. mined just 0.4%, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The DRC also has an estimated 3.5 million metric tons of cobalt reserves,
the largest amount in the world.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS KEEP PUSHING EXTREME MEASURES AMID GLOBAL ENERGY
CRISIS

However, independent investigations conducted in recent years by the
United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and
Amnesty International have documented how many cobalt mines located in the
DRC employ child laborers. The Biden administration also released a report
in October showing that child labor continues to take place in the mines.

"Many children we spoke to told us that they were frequently ill. Inhaling
cobalt dust can cause hard metal lung disease — a potentially fatal
condition," a 2016 Amnesty International report stated. "Skin contact with
cobalt can cause dermatitis — a chronic rash. Yet the children and other
miners have neither masks nor gloves to protect them."

"The children told us that they endured long hours — up to 12 hours a day
— working at the mines hauling back-breaking loads of between 20 and 40kg
for US$1-2 per day," it continued. "Many had nothing to eat all day.
Fourteen-year-old Paul, who began mining aged 12 and worked underground,
told us he would often ‘spend 24 hours down in the tunnels. I arrived in
the morning and would leave the following morning.’"

Overall, about 40,000 children are believed to work in mines in southern
DRC, according to UNICEF.

"It's egregious that the Biden administration would enter into an MOU to
mine critical minerals in the Congo, where we know they use child slave
labor to mine these minerals and they have almost zero labor standards and
almost zero environmental standards," Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., the top
Republican on the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Subcommittee,
told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"And yet this administration will not allow mining in the United States,"
he added.

PUSH FOR WIND ENERGY IN THE WEST THREATENS GOLDEN EAGLES

Stauber said his subcommittee will conduct investigations into the Biden
administration's mining policies once Republicans take control of the
House and he assumes the chairmanship of the panel next year.

"We are not only going to legislate, but we're going to have oversight,"
he told Fox News Digital. "We want to know why this administration
continues to not allow mining in the United States. We want to know why
they've pulled federal permits without allowing an environmental impact
statement to move forward."

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.

BIDEN ANNOUNCES $36 BILLION BAILOUT FOR UNION PENSION PLAN

"Don't just listen to Joe Biden and his activist administration's words,
look at their actions," said Stauber, who represents the district where
the projects are located. "Joe Biden, as far as workers go and mining
goes, is 'anywhere but America and any worker but American.' It's
unacceptable."

In addition, the Biden administration has implemented regulatory
roadblocks on mines in Alaska, Arizona and Nevada, which have massive
copper, molybdenum and lithium deposits.

The National Mining Association (NMA), meanwhile, said it wasn't surprised
at the administration's action given the immediate need for resources, but
argued there was significant need for a better long-term strategy.

"It would be a mistake to interpret a strategy intent on ensuring
immediate supply as a long-term comprehensive strategy that will
effectively meet demands for the future," NMA spokesperson Ashley Burke
told Fox News Digital. "There needs to be a much greater focus on mine
permitting at home."

"We have robust mineral reserves here in the U.S.; there is simply no
better place for the administration to be supporting mining projects,
supporting our economy with high-paying American jobs that are producing
American materials under world-leading environmental, labor and safety
standards," Burke continued.

The NMA has repeatedly sounded the alarm on U.S. mineral supply chains as
the federal government pushes green transition policies. In August, the
group said relying on mineral imports has been an "increasingly
problematic issue for decades and has now become a crisis." The group has
also advocated for a streamlined permitting process for mining projects.

"The MOU aligns with the Minerals Security Partnership’s objectives to
ensure critical minerals in the DRC and Zambia are produced, processed,
and recycled in a manner that supports countries in realizing the full
economic development potential of their mineral resources," a State
Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement.

"Moreover, U.S. assistance will help catalyze investment for strategic
opportunities —across the full electric vehicle value chain —that adhere
to the highest environmental, social, and governance standards."

The spokesperson said the federal government would "continue to engage the
government of the DRC through bilateral diplomacy and foreign assistance
to increase efforts to combat human trafficking, including child forced
labor."

Comments:

fearporn
16 December, 2022

What happens when we run out of these minerals because they are not near
as abundant as coal, LPN, Hydrogen or oil?? Then what people??

like electric vehicle batteries, solar panels and wind turbines require a
massive expansion of cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, graphite, zinc and
other mineral production.

mixoplix
16 December, 2022

Don't forget sulphur. 70% or more of the current sulphur supply comes as a
byproduct of fossil fuel production. It's not mined easily so without
fossil fuels the battery production is in trouble.

??the??4th??monkey??
16 December, 2022

When asked to clarify, Kamala cackled and replied: these are children
because they are all children and we know children to be children who are
not adults but born children and we could have avoided this problem if all
of them were aborted and they were not there to be used for labor…and if
Tanzania does not want their children to get exploited, they should open
the southern order so Mozambican and Zambian children can work in the
mines for our electric cars! A friend in need….(inaudible due to more
cackles)

2024orbust
16 December, 2022

One ton of refined lithium requires roughly 500,000 gallons of water to
produce. Thats just the beginning of the eco disaster these EV's are
causing. Tip of the iceberg. EV's are a billion dollar scam. Many will get
very wealthy - then it will go away except for some small practical
applications. EV's are unsustainable - as is solar/wind for grid
replacement.


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