EXCLUSIVE: Biden Admin Is Funding Overseas Lithium Projects While Shutting Down American Mines

The U.S. Department of State is funding “sustainable lithium extraction” projects in Argentina, as per the Freedom of Information Act documents recently made public by the Department of the Interior. Several federal agencies are working with representatives from Argentina’s Ministry of Productive Development, the Argentine Geological Mining Service, and the three provinces of Catamarca, Jujuy, and Salta towards the creation of a regional lithium resource inventory covering all three provinces.

The Biden administration is also blocking new mining projects within the United States. In January, the administration took further steps to block the Twin Metals project in northern Minnesota, tapping the Duluth Complex within the Superior National Forest. It’s worth noting that 95% of the nation’s nickel reserves and 88% of American cobalt reserves remain underground in the Duluth Complex.

Last month, the administration moved a step closer to implementing a 20-year ban on mining in South Dakota’s Black Hills National Forest while also cutting off nearly 16 million acres in Alaska from any sort of resource extraction indefinitely. Meanwhile, the administration has taken a different stance on the proposed Thacker Pass mine in Nevada. If approved by federal courts, the $2.2 billion mine 200 miles northeast of Reno would produce enough lithium to build 1.5 million electric vehicles annually for 40 years.

Lithium is a vital component for electric vehicles and is predicted to face shortages in as little as two years, as per a 2021 report by the International Energy Agency. The President has established a target of 50% of new U.S. car sales to be electric by the end of this decade. Hardrock mining and environmental policy expert, Debra Struhsacker, has urged the State Department to make similar investments in developing US lithium mines. Struhsacker notes that mining will adhere to strict environmental protection and worker health and safety regulations while tapping deep domestic Lithium reserves in states such as Nevada, California, and North Carolina.

President Biden authorized the Defense Production Act last summer to revive American mineral production as demand for critical resources increased with the subsidized acceleration of emissions-free technology. Critical minerals are central to the administration’s wind and solar projects, as well as defense technologies and popular products such as cellphones and laptops. While the Cold War-era law was meant to increase American mining operations, the White House recognizes Canadian mines as a “domestic source” that is eligible for taxpayer support. Taxpayer dollars for mining operations overseas are reflective of a faulty domestic permitting process that is keeping capital-intensive projects in limbo for decades, resulting from litigation brought by anti-development activists.

Both Democrats and Republicans have been calling for permitting reforms, as this delay has frustrated lawmakers.

Tristan Justice is the author of a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness, Social Justice Redux, and also the western correspondent for The Federalist. His work has featured in Fox News, The Washington Examiner, amongst others. He graduated from George Washington University, where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at [email protected]. Sign up for Tristan’s e-newsletter here.