One quietly growing problem in the U.S. energy sphere is our rapidly growing reliance on foreign nations for commodities that are crucial to our economic growth and national security. There are 17 rare earths and their price can boom 5- or 6-fold in a single year. China generally accounts for 80-90% of rare earth production (including almost all of the "heavy" rare earths). Simply put, it's been the our slowed mining regulatory regime that has led to our increasing reliance on foreign nations for vital commodities. Started about a decade ago, the U.S. shale oil and gas revolution typifies how quickly we can increase our own self-sufficiency on vital commodities.

Source: Forbes December 26, 2017 00:00 UTC