My apologies, Madam Chair.
Mr. Mills, I'd like to ask you about the supply chain behind today's so-called green technologies. You pointed out that the mining inputs necessary to create solar panels and batteries are largely sourced from countries like China. I'm going to quote from the International Energy Agency report you mentioned:
The Democratic Republic of the Congo...and People's Republic of China...were responsible for...70% and 60% of global production of cobalt and rare earth elements respectively in 2019. The level of concentration is even higher for processing operations, where China has a strong presence across the board. China's share of refining is around 35% for nickel, 50-70% for lithium [needed for batteries] and cobalt, and nearly 90% for rare earth elements.
By subsidizing the battery-powered vehicle, are we effectively driving more production to China?