ARLINGTON, VA- In a recent op-ed James Morrone, AFP Policy Analyst, sounded the alarm on America’s permitting crisis and why Congress needs to act with urgency to fix it.
America’s outdated, overly burdensome permitting process has left us dependent on foreign supply chains and unable to build the infrastructure we need. China’s recent move to restrict rare-earth metal exports isn’t just an economic maneuver—it’s a strategic weapon, Morrone argues.
Morrone lays out why permitting reform is critical—not only to strengthen national security but to unlock innovation, lower energy costs, and power economic growth. Policymakers have a clear choice: streamline permitting or watch America fall further behind.
As Seen in the DC Journal:
In a turn of events that should surprise absolutely no one, China implemented new export controls to reduce the flow of critical rare-earth metals shipments to the United States, highlighting a key weakness in the U.S. military supply chain.
These restrictions are more than economic maneuvers — they are a strategic weapon in a broader geopolitical rivalry. Why can China squeeze the United States like this? Because the U.S. permitting process is overly burdensome and a strategic liability.
Despite significant deposits and access to rare-earth minerals — the materials needed to build smartphones, electric cars and critical military systems — the United States imported 70 percent of its rare-earth metal supplies from China between 2020 and 2023.
These metals are essential to the U.S.’s ability to defend itself, as they are used in a variety of military systems ranging from the advanced F-35 stealth fighter to Tomahawk missiles and other key electrical components. Continued reliance on a nation that is increasingly positioning itself as a rival is not a sound strategy, and recent efforts to implement top-down industrial policies are not the solution.
Geopolitics isn’t the only area affected by permitting issues; it’s also affecting the nation’s ability to innovate and power the economy.
The federal permitting process, despite being a well-intentioned system to safeguard the health and property rights of communities and ecosystems, has become a costly choke point preventing businesses from competing at home and abroad.
Click here to read the entire piece.
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