[shadowfox]

> to think we can build manufacturing plants at the source of raw materials, and near consumers

The source of raw materials and consumers may be quite far apart (certainly in the modern world). While it can be argued that maybe they shouldn't be, that is likely to require a significant change in consumer (human?) behavior. And then there is the question of how local is "local" - are you advocating for each city/state to be self-sufficient in terms of agriculture and manufacturing or are you considering a whole massive country like the US as "local".