Mission
The mission of the United States Magnetic Materials Association is to promote secure, reliable production of the entire supply chain of rare earths and other materials used in magnet production to serve U.S. defense and energy needs.
Latest News
US Magnetic Materials Association Letter to all Congress regarding the WTO Case
March 27, 2012
Rare earths are critical and irreplaceable elements used in the manufacturing of components vital to American industry. Rare earths are used in products ranging from handheld devices such as smart phones and power tools to industrial applications such as advanced batteries and medical imagery machines. Even the flat screen televisions in your offices contain rare earth phosphors that provide sharp color displays, and your computers utilize rare earth permanent magnets for fast, efficient data storage on a hard disk drive. Rare earths are indeed a strategic resource to the United States.
Unfortunately, our domestic rare earths industry is nearly nonexistent. The People’s Republic of China now produces more than 94% of the rare earth oxide on the planet, as well as nearly all rare earth metal and alloy. Only one company in the U.S. currently mines rare earths, and it has stated its intent to conduct significant rare earth processing of its U.S.-mined rare earths inside China. China has also used this monopoly status to aggressively pursue its economic and regional diplomatic goals, especially through the use of production and export quotas. These policies have resulted in the relocation to China of nearly all American rare earth product manufacturers, along with thousands of American jobs-- all using technology developed here.
We therefore applaud the President’s recent decision to pursue a complaint against China before the World Trade Organization (WTO). The unfair policies pursued by that country have not only harmed important U.S. policy initiatives, but they have also harmed American workers. However, we believe that the President’s initiative is not enough. It may take years for the WTO to issue a ruling and yet more time for China to exhaust the appeal process. In the interim, more American jobs and technology will be shipped overseas.
Various members of Congress have been working diligently on this issue already this session. We urge you to consider supporting H.R. 1388, the Rare Earths Supply Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman; H.R. 2011, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Policy Act, sponsored by Rep. Doug Lamborn and its amended version that includes H.R. 1314, the Resource Assessment of Rare Earths Act, sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson; and S.1113, the Critical Minerals Policy Act, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The small businesses of the USMMA appreciate your attention to these issues. We stand ready to provide the U.S. with the mining and processing capabilities needed to meet the energy and technology challenges of the 21st century. We thank you for your support, and we urge you to contact us for further information about this critical issue.
Sincerely,
Ed Richardson
President
U.S. Magnetic Materials Association
US Magnetic Materials Association gives briefing at Inaugural Meeting of Congressional
Rare Earths Caucus
December 14, 2011
The United States Magnetic Materials Association briefed members of Congress today at the inaugural meeting of the Congressional Rare Earths Caucus. The briefing, entitled “Rare Earths: State of the Industry,” focused on efforts to rebuild a domestic and allied nation rare earth supply chain and develop additional supplies of the critical materials. It also included a discussion on current bills pending before Congress, efforts by the Department of Defense to develop a rare earth inventory, and the USMMA’s six-point plan to address the rare earth supply crisis.
US Magnetic Materials Association Applauds Inclusion of Rare Earth Inventory Assessment in Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill
December 13, 2011
The United States Magnetic Materials Association today applauded congressional defense authorizers for including a provision in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to conduct a rare earth inventory assessment at the Department of Defense.
USMMA: REEs, Technology Transfer to China and How the West Is Lost
October 11, 2011
This month, officials from the U.S., E.U., and Japan met in Washington to discuss China’s dominance of the rare earths sector and what can be done to address it.
US Magnetic Materials Association Welcomes New Member Companies Texas Rare Earth Resources
and Stans Energy
July 19, 2011
The United States Magnetic Materials Association today announced the addition of Texas Rare Earth Resources and Stans Energy as members of the comprehensive rare earth industry collaboration. The move increases the association’s core membership to ten, innovative companies.
USMMA Lauds Legislation to Reduce Economic and Security Risks
May 27, 2011
The United States Magnetic Materials Association welcomes the introduction of the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2011 (S. 1113) by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). This timely legislation, which received the bipartisan support of 16 co-sponsors, represents a comprehensive solution to market uncertainties that plague important elements of the national security and green technology industrial bases. USMMA applauds Senator Murkowski for her leadership on this issue and urges the Senate to move quickly on considering this bill.
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