ABSTRACT

Nonfuel minerals for some years have been greatly overshadowed by energy, and with good reason. The value of their combined U.S. production, for example, does not match that of either oil or natural gas and only moderately exceeds that of coal (figure 3-1). Similarly, U.S. net expenditures on nonfuel mineral imports are only a small percentage of its net outlays for the energy it acquires from abroad. In 1980 that percentage was as low as 5 percent. In 1981 it slightly exceeded 15 percent (figure 3-2). Between 1979 and 1981 the country’s annual net trade bill for nonfuel minerals averaged only $6 billion.