I will address the elephant in this room. We have a supply-chain problem. It is something that you have all experienced at some point. It is only the beginning. We are dependent on foreign sources for minerals, some of which are sworn enemies to the U.S. It is not about whether a dealership can deliver your next car, or the chips and battery that go into your cell phone. It is our national defense as well as sovereignty that is at risk.
How did we get to this point? This country was ready to help rebuild the world after WWII. We did it. We made America indispensable to the rest of the world through American ingenuity, and our work ethic. Slowly, but surely, we have traded our competitive advantage.
Mignonne Hollis
People want green technology. It is not easy to find it. The answer is that every solution to fossil fuel consumption requires a large amount of mined material. Copper, for example, is a building block of solar, wind, or geothermal power generation. It is also crucial for the production and maintenance of electric vehicles. It is abundant in Arizona and can be used to meet domestic needs as well as export to other nations.
Environmental groups continue to sue for development and stop it at all costs. This has been seen recently at Hudbays proposed mine in Tucson. This is the largest shovel-ready southern Arizona project. Although the company has spent hundreds of millions of money and proposed many conservation measures to develop it, these projects are constantly in litigation.
Cost: Did you know that no matter what the outcome of their cases may be, they still charge the taxpayer for the costs. It is true. We are all responsible for these lawsuits regardless the outcome.
Ironically, none of these actions can eliminate the need for mining materials. It just shifts the source. Depending on the source, this can lead to questions about human rights or environmental impacts. Even if it does not, offshoring is the act of shipping long distances. This can have an impact.
This puts American workers at risk, compromises our security and cancels tax revenue that funds schools, roads and other programs. This is hypocrisy.
Mignonne Hollis, executive director, Arizona Regional Economic Development Foundation.