and reprocessing of rare earth elements required by the conference report (H.Rept.
112-329) to accompany the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, states
that each SSN-774 Virginia-class submarine would require approximately 9,200 pounds of
rare earth materials, each DDG-51 Aegis destroyer would require approximately 5,200
pounds of these materials, and each F-35 Lightning II aircraft would require approximately
920 pounds of these materials.
H.Rept. 113-102, to accompany H.R. 1960, the proposed National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014.
So that’s the Congressional Research report everyone quotes. But where’s that doc which is being quoted therein? 113-192 is here:
https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/113th-congress/house-report/102/1
And 112 329 is here:
https://www.congress.gov/congressional-report/112th-congress/house-report/329
Will we find our answer?
Hmm, apparently this gets pushed back a year:
Specifically, the report on the feasibility and desirability of recycling, recovery, and reprocessing
of rare earth elements required by the conference report (H. Rept. 112-329) to accompany the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, states that each SSN-774 Virginiaclass submarine would require approximately 9,200 pounds of rare earth materials, each DDG51 Aegis destroyer would require approximately 5,200 pounds of these materials, and each F-35 Lightning II aircraft would require approximately 920 pounds of these materials.
Hmm, the source report might well be this one: ““Report on Feasibility and Desirability of Recycling, Recovery, and
Reprocessing Rare Earth Elements,” September 2012” and that little bugger I can’t find at all.
A quick glance at the summary shows that environmental problems, ie thorium is the reason the US relies on China for rare earths. Since the campaign against radiation is about a century old, this isn’t going to stop any time soon.
Perhaps the demand for clean energy will mean that there’ll be a demand for thorium to fuel breeder reactors. But I’m not holding my breath.
The string of reports does remind me of our roars of laughter when received a travel allowance claim from the US that they wanted us to validate. We were all saying, ‘God. The Yanks’ bureaucracy is as bad as ours!!!!’