On July 25, 2025, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy submitted comments in response to the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE) Request for Information on the 2026 Draft Energy Critical Materials Assessment.
In the comments, SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy applauds DOE’s decision to broaden the scope of the 2026 Energy Critical Materials Assessment to include a wider range of energy production and generation technologies—extending beyond clean energy to encompass nuclear, fossil fuels, hydropower, and bioenergy—as well as related conversion, transmission, storage, and end-use systems. This broader framing more accurately reflects the diverse ways critical minerals support the U.S. energy system and is essential for identifying upstream vulnerabilities that may impact energy reliability, affordability, and security.
SAFE’s comments focused primarily on the methodology used in the Critical Materials Assessment, as it is the foundation upon which accurate prioritization, analysis, and policy decisions must rest. Ensuring that the underlying approach fully reflects both evolving geopolitical risks and market realities is essential to producing an actionable and durable assessment.
Read SAFE’s Center for Critical Minerals Strategy’s full comments here.
