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A bipartisan piece of legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate Friday would force defense contractors to stop buying rare earths from China by 2026 and use the Pentagon to create a permanent stockpile of the strategic minerals.

The bill is the latest in a series seeking to counter China’s near-control of the industry. The U.S. has only one rare earth mine and does not have the capacity to process rare earth minerals.

Ending U.S. dependence on China for rare earth mining and processing is critical to building the U.S. defense and technology sectors.

Known as the Restoring Essential Energy and Security Holdings Onshore for Rare Earths Act of 2022, the bill would codify and make permanent the Pentagon’s stockpiling of materials. China temporarily halted rare earth exports to Japan in 2010 and issued vague threats that it might do the same to the United States.

er build that stockpile, however, the Pentagon buys the supply in part from China, a paradox that Senate members hope will diminish over time.

The process of producing rare earths can be highly polluting, part of the reason it has become unpopular in the United States. Ongoing research is trying to make the process cleaner.

MP Materials Corp, which operates the only rare earth mine in the U.S. and relies on Chinese processors, reported that it appreciates “ongoing efforts by the Department of Defense and the broader U.S. government to secure the domestic rare earth supply chain and promote free competition.

The Pentagon has given grants over the past two years to companies seeking to resume rare earth processing and magnet manufacturing in the United States, including MP Materials, Australia Lynas Rare Earth Ltd, TDA Magnetics Inc and Urban Mining Co.