Ahead of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resource’s meeting to consider a new bill to invest in American energy and outdoor infrastructure, SAFE sent the committee a letter in support of the new bill’s critical mineral and electric grid provisions.
In the letter, SAFE President and CEO Robbie Diamond says, “The world is transitioning to an increasingly electric, connected future fueled by batteries and critical minerals. Today, Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party dominate the battery arms race, while the United States and its allies are struggling to find a way to compete.”
Among the critical mineral provisions, SAFE particularly commends the following:
- The robust, comprehensive approach to mineral resources mapping by leveraging the Earth MRI program and establishing an Energy and Minerals Research Facility.
- Establishing a battery material processing grant, and a battery and manufacturing recycling grant.
- The provision concerning the use of existing mine waste on abandoned mine lands and establishing a clean energy demonstration program for current and former mine lands.
Yet while SAFE applauds the Committee’s attention to mineral processing, SAFE encourages the Committee to focus on establishing a rare earths processing cooperative to counter Chinese leadership in this vital sector.
“Minerals are the fuels of the future, and it’s time we treat them that way,” Diamond added.
Among the electric grid provisions, SAFE especially commends:
- Sections 1005 and 1006, concerning the siting of interstate transmission facilities and inter-regional planning rulemaking.
- Section 1007, the “anchor tenant” provision that would authorize DOE to enter into capacity contracts with transmission developers.
- Deployment of smart grid technologies, cybersecurity provisions, state energy security plans, and demonstration of EV battery second-life applications.
SAFE also encourages the Committee to consider adding language to facilitate the deployment of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capability beyond the data collection provision in Section 4104 of the bill, by adding V2G federal technical assistance and adding language to incentivize federal and state fleets to add V2G charging capability.
Read the letter here.
Contact: Alex Adams | 202.461.2374 | aadams@secureenergy.org
About SAFE
SAFE enhances the nation’s energy security and supports our economic resurgence and resiliency, by advancing transformative transportation and mobility technologies and ensuring that the United States secures key aspects of the technology supply chain to achieve and maintain our strategic advantage.
In partnership with the Electrification Coalition, SAFE’s sister organization, we work with consumers, businesses, and policymakers, to launch award-winning “real-world” programs and enable the needed polices to accelerate transportation electrification around the country to reduce our Nation’s dependence on oil.
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