As Long As It Comes From China It Is Acceptable

After an exhaustive cost analysis by the CBO and a California impact study by the EPA, it has been determined that what happens in China stays in China.

Earth-Friendly Elements, Mined Destructively

Thomas Lee for The New York Times

Zeng Guohui, 41, visiting an abandoned mine where he used to shovel ore from which rare-earth elements were extracted.

By KEITH BRADSHER

Published: December 25, 2009

GUYUN VILLAGE, China — Some of the greenest technologies of the age, from electric cars to efficient light bulbs to very large wind turbines, are made possible by an unusual group of elements called rare earths. The world’s dependence on these substances is rising fast.

In Rare Earth Metals, Chinese Dominance

Thomas Lee for The New York Times

This abandoned mine in Guyun Village in China exhausted the local deposit of heavy rare-earth elements in three years.

Just one problem: These elements come almost entirely from China, from some of the most environmentally damaging mines in the country, in an industry dominated by criminal gangs.

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Aren't you just dying to see those Chinese wind turbines dotting the landscape and your lakefronts?