Gary Palmer named chairman of U.S. House Subcommittee on Environment, vows to eliminate ‘dependence on China’ for critical minerals

U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) has been named the new Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment, under the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce. Palmer and the committee will address matters related to soil, air, noise, and water contamination while also focusing on emergency environmental response. “I’m pleased to have the opportunity to chair the Subcommittee on Environment, which has jurisdiction over critical minerals and rare earth elements,” said Palmer. “Dependence on China for processing and refining critical minerals, and in particular rare elements, has become a major nati