Supercharging America’s Supply Chains: Securing Critical Minerals for a Brighter Future

Cristiano de Mateo

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In an era of clean energy revolution, securing the supply chains for critical minerals is vital for America's progress. President Biden's proactive measures, backed by the Defense Production Act, are paving the way for a reliable and resilient future. Discover how these actions are empowering our nation to meet its clean energy goals and ensure a brighter future for all.

Powering the Future: How America is Securing Critical Minerals for a Sustainable Tomorrow

In March 2022, President Biden made an important decision. He used a law called the Defense Production Act to make sure we have enough important minerals for clean energy. These minerals, like lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese, are needed to make big batteries. The president said it’s really important for our country’s defense and we need to have a steady supply of these minerals. He also said we should make more of them in our own country to avoid running out. The president told the secretary of defense to take action and make sure we can produce these minerals here at home.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the prices of metals went up because people were worried about sanctions and how it would affect the supply chain. Some important metals like nickel and palladium, used for batteries and car parts, became more expensive. This happened because many of the materials used to make things come from Russia and Ukraine, and the conflict made it harder to get them. One Russian company makes a lot of nickel and palladium for the world. Because of the invasion, companies are trying to get materials from other places, but it’s not easy. The government is working on a plan to help American manufacturing and make sure we have enough important materials.

People have been worried about getting enough important minerals for a while. In 2017, when President Trump was in charge, they wanted to find out which minerals are really important and make sure we don’t depend too much on other countries for them. They said some minerals are critical because we really need them, but we might not have enough and it would be a big problem if we couldn’t get them. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic when supply chains were messed up, they said it was a national emergency because we couldn’t get enough important minerals, and it was a threat to our safety and economy. They said we import more than half of what we need for many important minerals, and we don’t make some of them at all.

Recent events have shown how important it is to make sure we have enough important minerals. The Biden administration is continuing the efforts started by the Trump administration to make sure we can get enough of them. They want to make sure we have enough important minerals and can get them from different places. It’s really important for the clean energy economy that the administration wants to build.

Right after becoming president, President Biden made a rule called Executive Order 14008. This rule says that it’s important to think about the climate crisis in everything our country does. The government also needs to buy things and use vehicles that don’t cause pollution. This is important because if the government buys things that are good for the climate, it can encourage other companies to do the same.

To make clean energy and other important things, we need special minerals. These minerals are really important, but we don’t have enough of them in the United States. Other countries are better at getting these minerals. The government wants to make sure we can get enough of these minerals and that our supply chains are strong.

President Biden made some important decisions to make sure our country has strong supply chains. He issued orders and created task forces to protect and improve our supply chains. They looked at different things like batteries for electric cars and important minerals we need.

They want to make sure we have enough of these things in our country and that they are made in a responsible way. They also want to create good jobs while taking care of the environment.

The government is working hard to support American manufacturing and make sure our supply chains are secure. They want to rely less on other countries and have more control over our important resources.

Overall, the government wants to make sure we can make things in our own country and have the things we need without depending too much on others.

It’s really important for our country to have a secure supply chain for important minerals. These minerals are needed for clean energy and other important things. President Biden took an important step by using a law called the Defense Production Act to support these supply chains.

Taking action early and planning ahead is crucial to protect our country and our allies from problems with the global supply chain. It can take a long time to get permits for mining and building important things, so we need to be prepared. If companies face difficulties getting permits, they can use these policy documents to help them.

Having a reliable supply chain is really important for our country’s needs. We need to make sure we can get the minerals we need for clean energy and other important things.