https://www.washingtonpost.com/
BOISE, Idaho — Former Idaho Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter has asked the Trump administration to investigate possible Chinese involvement in a mining company that could compete in Idaho with a Canadian-based company that tapped Otter to serve on its board of directors.
The Idaho Statesman reports in a story on Friday that Otter in a July 9 letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says he’s concerned cobalt mined in Idaho will be shipped to China.
Otter, a Republican, left office in January after serving 12 years as governor. In February he joined the board of Toronto-based First Cobalt Corp. Otter is asking Mnuchin to look into Australia-based Jervois Mining Ltd.’s move to acquire ECobalt Solutions, based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Cobalt is used in making lithium-ion batteries. U.S. Department of Energy officials say a reliable and affordable supply of cobalt and other metals crucial to battery production is needed in anticipation of soaring global demand and potential shortages.
Currently, cobalt largely is mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.S. officials say U.S. dependence on other countries for cobalt and finished lithium-ion batteries undermines national security.
For the rest of this article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/former-idaho-governor-seeks-investigation-of-mining-company/2019/07/15/80a81c66-a73f-11e9-8733-48c87235f396_story.html?utm_term=.978b250e9345