United Steelworkers (USW) District 11 Director Emil Ramirez joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the need to increase domestic mining of the precious metals required to manufacture solar panels, wind turbines, electric car batteries and other technologies.
District 11 includes the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
As the world transitions toward a green economy, people tend to forget precious metals are needed for green technologies, as well as smartphones, tablets and other computer components, Ramirez said.
Many of these precious metals are currently mined in China and Russia, but the U.S. has sizable mines including nickel, cobalt and other precious mineral resources within its borders.To maintain its manufacturing independence, the U.S. needs to increase the amount of mined materials domestically, he added.
Ramirez also spoke about responsible mining practices that can harvest these materials in ways that are sustainable to the environment, as well as local communities. He spoke of Good Neighbors Agreements, which set measurable environmental and community standards in order to minimize the negative impact of mining.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.