BLOOMINGTON, In. – The transition to electric vehicles has increased the demand for lithium-ion batteries, which require a robust supply of critical materials. Developing those resources in the United States will be essential to U.S. EV production, but efficiently accessing project-specific information about mining policy has been a hurdle.
To address this issue, researchers from the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, including Professor John D. Graham, have developed the Database of EV Critical Material Project (DEV-CaMP), a comprehensive and publicly accessible resource to analyze the state of EV-specific critical material mining in the U.S.
The database, which was announced in the journal Resources Policy in the article “Hoping to mine: The nascent critical materials industry in the United States,” describes planned and active U.S. mines and processing facilities for seven key EV-related materials: cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, nickel, and neodymium. Included are 91 project sites, chiefly located in Nevada, Arizona, California, and Idaho.
“The study provides the data to track the future of the U.S. critical materials industry,” Graham said. “It helps automakers and their suppliers, national security experts, and policymakers look at ways to promote mining in the U.S. without compromising environmental protection.”
The database shows that lithium and copper projects dominate the landscape, but only 13 sites are active, and most are focused on copper. Another 24 projects have been delayed indefinitely or are in the exploration or development stages. Nearly 30 other sites are facing regulatory and public opposition challenges, such as conflicts over water rights, land ownership, and environmental concerns. Federal financial support has been granted to 21 projects from the Department of Energy, the Department of Defense, and the Export-Import Bank of the United States, mostly for processing instead of mining.
Providing a central database to analyze the issues and progress of U.S. mines and processing facilities is crucial to U.S. leadership in the future of EVs.
“Otherwise, China would dominate the supply chain for the U.S. EV industry,” Graham said.
The database presents strong evidence that developers and policymakers are making efforts to develop resources that will establish the U.S. as a significant producer of materials, but more policy measures are needed for the industry to take the next steps.
Graham and his colleagues, including Kelly Lynn Anderson, Shannon Halinski, Khoi Hua, and Clinical Associate Professor Emeritus John A. Rupp, plan to explore whether communities in the U.S. will accept lithium mining and processing, which will be critical to the growth of the industry.