u.s. senate moves forward on plan to develop electric vehicle supply chain

(Reuters)-U. S.
On Tuesday, lawmakers were closer to developing a national electric vehicle supply chain policy, and senators expressed bipartisan support for legislation aimed at overcoming China\'s dominance in metal production and battery manufacturing.
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources held a hearing on the US mineral Safety Act, which would help streamline regulation and allow the development of mines for lithium, graphite and other electric vehicle minerals.
The legislation to be passed will require statistics on the metal reserves in the United States and seek permission to simplify the electric vehicle industry, in which China is already far ahead.
The bipartisan legislation is partly to codify the 2017 executive order on the United States. S.
Mineral Development project sponsored by President Donald TrumpS.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Joe Manchin and others.
\"When we don\'t know what\'s in our inventory, we won\'t give ourselves any benefit,\" Alaska Republican Murkoski said at the hearing . \" The hearing was webcast.
\"I suspect we have more than we think.
Even some existing AmericaS.
Mine in China\'s track, domestic production
Said rare earth minerals are dependent on processing in China and are now catching up with the United States. S. -
Trade conflict in China
Gavin Montgomery, battery and mining analyst at Wood Mackenzie Consulting, said: \"China has a huge start . \".
\"They spend much longer in this area than the rest of the world.
Officials in the Trump administration\'s internal affairs and energy sector have expressed support for the legislation to be passed.
\"We are committed to producing minerals from domestic sources,\" Joe Balash, assistant secretary for land and mineral management at the Ministry of Interior, said at the hearing . \".
Anyone can guess how much of the Cobalt and other minerals used to make electric cars are in the United States because the United States has conducted a nationwide survey.
Current estimates from the United StatesS.
Geological surveys rely on the company\'s annual report, historical data from the United StatesS.
According to Alex Demas, a spokesman for the US Geological Survey, the mine authority and other sources.
Finding out the mineral composition of a certain area requires sending staff to the site to collect rock samples, a timely and expensive task.
Murkowski\'s legislation requires a national reserve analysis of all minerals used to make electric vehicles.
For example, data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) show that the United States has 35,000 tons of lithium reserves, which the agency and industry executives think is conservative.
The company operates only in the United States. S.
Lithium mine is a factory with an annual output of about 6,000 tons.
According to the current U. S. Geological Survey, this means that a mine may run out of U. S. oil. S.
Reserves within six years
Several lithium projects are being developed across the country, including projects from ioneer Co. , Ltd. , Lithium Americas and Piemont Lithium Co. , Ltd.
According to the company, each company aims to produce at least 20,000 tons of lithium per year.
Jon Evans, president of lithium America, said at the hearing that the federal government should provide loan guarantees for the United States. S.
Mining and processing projects.
\"The federal loan guarantee will confirm the government\'s commitment to developing a critical mineral supply chain,\" Evans said . \".
In addition to physical reserves, concerns about the lack of foreign exchange reserves in the United StatesS.
The handling facilities are also worrying.
According to WoodMac data, China controls about 85% of the world\'s cobalt sulfate processing.
Cobalt sulfate is the metal version used in lithium ion batteries.
ECobalt Solutions Inc. aims to produce 1,500 tons of cobalt per year once the Idaho project begins, although this is enough to make about 300,000 electric vehicles.
\"The fact that China maintains a near monopoly on the key minerals needed for our defense system makes no sense,\" West Virginia Democrat Manchin said . \".
The committee has not yet set a date for a vote on the legislation.
The United States does have some processing power.
Albemarle and rival Livent Corp. produce some lithium at home.
Syrah Resources Co. , Ltd. mined graphite in Mozambique and shipped it to the state of Luis Anna for the manufacture of battery parts.
The United States also relies on China for rare earth processing. Rare earth is a group of 17 elements for the manufacture of electric cars and consumer electronics.
The California Yamaguchi mine owned by MP Materials has to pay a 25% tariff in order to ship its rare earth extracted from the California mine to China for processing, which is a collateral damage that the United States is doingS. -China trade war
\"What we\'re looking for is just a level playing field as a low
Cost producers so that we can help build an electric vehicle supply chain in the United States . \"
Chairman of MP materials
But these facilities are often an exception, and investors have so far been wary of funding new US Treasury bonds. S.
Part of the reason is China\'s dominance, fearing that any investment will be difficult to recover.
\"Ultimately, these projects have to pile up economically, even if the U. S.
\"It\'s easier for politicians to get permission,\" says Montgomery of Woodmark . \". (
For the graphics of \"Lithium projects in progress in the US\", please click on the tmsmrt. rs/2CXdGWN)