Several Upstate Congressmembers are reaching across the aisle to try and bring rare-earth materials refining to the region. The initiative could have local economic impact, but also has national security implications.
The last time you heard of gallium might have been when you looked at the periodic table in high school science class. But the mineral is a critical piece of a range of sophisticated technologies, such as advanced radar systems, G-P-S navigation and A-I microchips. Congressmember John Mannion of Syracuse noted China controls as much as 98% of the worlds refined supply. “So, from a supply chain standpoint and a national security standpoint, it’s critical that we in this country are doing our own extracting and refining.”
He added China often restricts access to the material and at times of political tensions can cut it off entirely…