Rare earths

There is a group of chemicals especially important to the high tech industry called rare earth metals. Up until the 1980's the US was one of the world's largest producers but environmental concerns begin shutting down mines and in 2015 the last US mine closed. China now produces 95% of these valuable metals. The mining in China is backward compared to the mines in the US that were closed and they are contaminating the ground water while causing significant health problems. Trump has issued an executive order to begin mining these metals in the US. New technology will reduce the environmental hazards and allow the US to move toward self sufficiency while reducing the damage in China. Without some help from the US the contamination is expected to reach the Yellow River a crucial water supply for 150 million people.