The U.S. Senate recently passed bipartisan legislation that would reduce U.S. reliance on foreign nations for critical minerals.
The bipartisan Intergovernmental Critical Minerals Task Force Act would establish a presidential task force tasked with determining how to address national security risks associated with critical mineral supply chains and identifying new domestic opportunities for mining, processing, refinement, reuse, and recycling of critical minerals.
The task force would be comprised of representatives from federal agencies who must consult with state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. It would be required to publish a report to Congress with its findings, guidelines, and recommendations.
Critical minerals and rare earth metals, such as cobalt and lithium, are used to manufacture technology such as military equipment and electric vehicle batteries. Currently, China is the main source for more than half of the critical minerals on the U.S. Geological Survey’s 2022 list that the United States imports.
The bill moves to the House for consideration. It has the support of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, the American Automotive Policy Council, Ford, General Motors, the Sierra Club, and Stellantis.
U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairman, introduced the bill along with U.S. Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Mitt Romney (R-UT).