News & Insights

​​​​​​The Trump administration has announced new funding for critical minerals projects in the U.S., seeking to award nearly $1 billion to key projects (Politico).

• In announcing the new funding, Energy Secretary Chris Wright “cited a March executive order that tapped a range of agencies for efforts to boost minerals production in announcing the award plans.”

How it works: The funding comes in part from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, one of manufacturers’ and the NAM’s many policy victories over the past five years.

• “The largest pot of funding, up to $500 million, comes from the Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling grant program, which was established by the bipartisan infrastructure law,” according to Politico.
• “DOE said Wednesday its Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management also plans to award up to $250 million under the Energy Act of 2020 and the infrastructure law for industrial facilities to pilot initiatives to produce critical minerals as byproducts from their existing processes.”

Rare earths: Also notable is the $135 million in funding that the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains will award to rare earths demonstration projects.

Concerted efforts: The NAM has urged President Trump to support critical minerals projects since his election, and the administration has been swift to act.

• As NAM President and CEO Jay Timmons said in response to the March EO, “For too long, red tape and burdensome regulations have stood in the way of the basic building blocks that power manufacturing in the United States, especially mining and processing the minerals manufacturers rely on to create jobs and dominate on the world stage.”
• “The administration is addressing those barriers, making it easier for manufacturers to access the resources we need to build the future in America.”