WASHINGTON DC - The federal government is seeking public comment from now through March 19 on a proposed trade deal to secure critical minerals like cobalt, nickel and lithium, which are used in cars, phones and other electronics.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative is looking to strike a deal with several other countries to boost production and secure supply chains.
Arthur Stamoulis, executive director of the Trade Justice Education Fund, wants the Trump administration to make sure U.S. tax dollars do not contribute to child labor or toxic pollution in the mines.
"They need to have strong, binding standards on labor rights, the environment, Indigenous rights and community consent throughout the supply chain," Stamoulis urged. "We need to ensure that those standards are backed up by swift and certain enforcement mechanisms that include meaningful, facility-specific penalties for violations."
The Trump administration is considering deals to establish a price floor. The idea is to reduce U.S. reliance on China, which currently mines 70% of the world's rare earth minerals and controls almost all mineral processing. Advocates want a deal to set basic standards to be met before minerals are imported.
State data show mining supports more than 15,000 jobs in Nevada, concentrated in Eureka, Lander and Elko counties.
Stamoulis stressed people should speak up now, because the decisions being made this year could affect how mining operations around the world are shaped for decades.
"The details really matter, depending on how they're written," Stamoulis pointed out. "These trade deals could help countries meet shared climate, job creation, sustainable development goals. Or they can end up accelerating really exploitative models of resource extraction that are harmful to workers, communities in the environment."
Last month, the administration rolled out a $12 billion initiative called Project Vault, which will stockpile critical minerals. People can submit public comment directly or sign a petition from the Trade Justice Education Fund.
Source: Public News Service
