The thinking man's inventory of natural resources

To the world at large, the problems of energy supply and demand have tended to obscure the need to focus attention on what is happening in the nonfuel minerals area. But to those of us in the business, the problems are no less compelling and largely similar. Nonfuel minerals demand for the year 2000 is estimated to constitute approximately two‐thirds of total minerals demand in the United States. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that by the year 2000 U.S. dependence on imports will be complete for 12 commodities and over 75 percent for 19 others.