Enough Project Response to Misleading Conflict Minerals Op-Ed

Nov 17, 2016 | Enough Project
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On November 13, the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by Tate Watkins entitled "How Dodd-Frank Led to More Mayhem in Africa." Relying on outdated, narrow arguments concerning the conflict minerals provision of the Dodd-Frank Act, Tate Watkins misses the provision’s enduring importance. The study Mr. Watkins casts as "forthcoming" is based on old data that has been proven wrong. It analyzes data only through 2012, before the provision was implemented, making any claim about Dodd-Frank's negative impact dubious at best. No embargo on the region exists today, and there are now more certified conflict-free mines in Congo than could have been imagined before Dodd-Frank. As often occurs in places where black markets are disrupted by reform, there have been negative impacts in Congo which require solutions. However, had the study Mr. Watkins references considered data past 2012 he would have seen how requiring businesses to report on conflict minerals due diligence is in fact achieving several critical goals.