America is the Land of Opportunity because of the plentiful and unique natural resources from the East to the West Coast. Over the past nearly 250 years, our nation has relied on this bounty to sustain itself and our economy. But as we approach the United States’ semiquincentennial next summer, it’s clear that in recent decades, the U.S. has become less self-reliant on its own natural resources, instead looking abroad to other nations, even foreign adversaries, for crucial minerals.
Overregulation, outdated legislation, and sometimes decadeslong permit processing wait times have led to an overreliance on minerals such as lithium imports from adversaries, including the People’s Republic of China. This has, in turn, played into the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, granting them de facto control of the global lithium supply chain either through their domestic mines or ones they have gained through other means, such as the Belt and Road Initiative.
This has only empowered Beijing in its drive to gain and wield economic influence over its greatest geopolitical rival, the United States of America. When you hear “energy security is national security,” this is precisely the scenario that this phrase is referencing.
According to a recent U.S. Geological Survey–led study, it’s estimated that between 5 and 19 million tons of lithium reserves are located in the Smackover Formation, a geological formation that encompasses areas from southern and eastern Texas, across the Gulf states, all the way to the Florida panhandle. We can strengthen our economy, bolster national security, and ensure America stays a global leader by loosening the regulatory environment that would allow us to tap into this mineral-rich deposit.
Here at home, the demand for lithium will only continue to increase as we embark on energy developments to support the growing demand on our power grid, complicated by the push for heavily subsidized renewable energy sources such as wind and solar recently. For the sake of our electrical grid, our economy, and, above all, U.S. national security, I am proud to introduce a common-sense solution to unleash America’s mineral wealth: the Mineral Extraction for Revitalizing Industry and Critical Applications (‘Merica) Act.
The ‘Merica Act would amend the Mineral Leasing Act for Acquired Lands (MLAAL) to clarify that all lands acquired by the federal government are eligible to be considered for hardrock mineral leasing.
Federal lands are scattered throughout the Smackover Formation, but they cannot currently be developed to tap into this lithium reserve. This is because hardrock minerals are not, as of this time, classified as eligible for leasing under the MLAAL.
The Merica Act will correct this oversight, allowing the Secretary of the Interior to follow through on President Trump’s Executive Order to ramp up mineral production on federal lands. This measured approach will improve domestic mineral production while also striving to preserve our country’s innate beauty.
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When it comes to natural resource production, the U.S. does it more cleanly and safely than most. After all, would you rather see the CCP continue to corner the lithium industry by way of dangerous conditions in Chinese mines or through the exploitation of labor in Central Africa?
When building the foundation of our great country, our forefathers recognized the preponderance of this country’s resources as vital to our prosperity. The time is now to capitalize on America’s vast reserve of natural resources so that we may use and responsibly preserve them for future generations.
Rep. Pat Fallon represents Texas’s Fourth Congressional District. He is a House Armed Services, Oversight, and Intelligence committees member.