Energy independence is something that all free market-minded Americans support. The idea of drilling to extract our own petroleum so we are not dependent on foreign entities for fuel makes economic and national security sense.

We should be doing the same with mineral extraction to establish mineral independence.

This is especially important as our economy continues to struggle. Mineral independence is good economics, much like energy independence was an economic stimulator in 2016 and continuing to 2019. Forbes reported on May 2, 2023, that “in 2019, net energy imports turned negative, meaning the U.S. had become energy independent” and “the reason was the shale boom that had begun in earnest in 2005.”

The same can’t be said of minerals. China is a virtual monopoly when it comes to processing and refining minerals, and the United States is not trying to mirror the energy sector by increasing domestic extraction. Right now, China refines about 40% of the world’s copper, 59% of lithium, 68% of nickel, and 73% of cobalt. This year, the United States will set a record for mineral imports at a time when supply chain issues are a national security issue.

The new frontier for the extraction of minerals has moved from land to sea, and China is investing big money in deep-sea mining technology with sonar and remote-operated vehicles. We are not doing the same. Accessible seabed resources can make the difference with polymetallic nodules that can be used to make military hardware. Polymetallic nodules are abundant on the sea floor and consist of large chunks of metals loaded with divergent types of minerals. The military, and all Americans, need these minerals to make computers, phones, medical devices, and batteries.

The U.S. should be competing in the sea so that we don’t have to rely on China. Congress should consider measures that make it easier to mine the seas for minerals. And the Department of Defense should be contracting with companies that engage in deep sea polymetallic nodule exploration, so we can maintain access to these materials if the supply chain fails or if China decides to stop selling to us.

As an environmental issue, this is a no-brainer. If the U.S. wants to move towards electric vehicles (EVs), then officials must recognize that EVs require as much as six times the minerals as a traditional gas-powered engine.

Furthermore, extracting from the sea is far cleaner than the destructive means of extracting minerals from land. Award-winning director and staunch conservationist James Cameron has spent many hours in the deep sea and fully supports the idea of deep-sea mining. The Guardian reported on July 22, 2023, that Cameron has completed over 75 deep sea dives, and he has observed that when you do a deep dive, “what you mostly have is miles and miles and miles of nothing but clay.” He observed that until humanity can figure out a way to mine asteroids, he believes it is far better to mine in the deep sea than in rainforests and other ecologically sensitive areas.

The U.S. has companies and allies such as Canada’s The Metals Company who are waiting for the opportunity to expand and compete with China. The Biden administration should refrain from any regulation or rule that would inhibit deep-sea mining in American or international waters. Furthermore, Congress should consider getting more active in promoting deep sea mining by American and allied extractors in the name of mineral independence and national security.

If we do nothing, the United States will remain reliant on China for necessary minerals, to the detriment of our environment and national security.

Brian Darling is the former counsel and senior communications director for Sen. Rand Paul.