1) Memorandum on Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 303 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/31/memorandum-on-presidential-determination-pursuant-to-section-303-of-the-defense-production-act-of-1950-as-amended/
Excerpts:
Section 1. Policy. It is the policy of my Administration that ensuring a robust, resilient, sustainable, and environmentally responsible domestic industrial base to meet the requirements of the clean energy economy, such as the production of large-capacity batteries, is essential to our national security and the development and preservation of domestic critical infrastructure.
The United States depends on unreliable foreign sources for many of the strategic and critical materials necessary for the clean energy transition — such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese for large-capacity batteries. Demand for such materials is projected to increase exponentially as the world transitions to a clean energy economy.
To promote the national defense, the United States must secure a reliable and sustainable supply of such strategic and critical materials. The United States shall, to the extent consistent with the promotion of the national defense, secure the supply of such materials through environmentally responsible domestic mining and processing; recycling and reuse; and recovery from unconventional and secondary sources, such as mine waste.
Sec. 2. Determination. (a) I hereby determine, pursuant to section 303(a)(5) of the Act, that:
(1) sustainable and responsible domestic mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing of strategic and critical materials for the production of large-capacity batteries for the automotive, e-mobility, and stationary storage sectors are essential to the national defense;
(2) without Presidential action under section 303 of the Act, United States industry cannot reasonably be expected to provide the capability for these needed industrial resources, materials, or critical technology items in a timely manner; and
(3) purchases, purchase commitments, or other action pursuant to section 303 of the Act are the most cost-effective, expedient, and practical alternative method for meeting the need.
(b) Consistent with section 303(a)(1) of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore sustainable and responsible domestic production capabilities of such strategic and critical materials by supporting feasibility studies for mature mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing projects; by-product and co-product production at existing mining, mine waste reclamation, and other industrial facilities; mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing modernization to increase productivity, environmental sustainability, and workforce safety; and any other such activities authorized under section 303(a)(1) of the Act.
(c) In the execution of projects to create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore sustainable and responsible domestic production capabilities of such strategic and critical materials consistent with section 303(a)(1) of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall consult with the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other executive departments and agencies (agencies) as appropriate.
Sec. 3. Annual Report to the President and the Congress by the Secretary of Defense. (a) The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the heads of other agencies as appropriate, shall conduct a survey of the domestic industrial base for the mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing of strategic and critical materials for the production of large-capacity batteries for the automotive, e-mobility, and stationary storage sectors. Such survey shall assess whether conditions continue to warrant the use of the authority under section 303 of the Act.
NYTimes, Biden Invokes Cold War Statute to Boost Critical Mineral Supply: The action aims to enhance American production of crucial materials for electric vehicles, defense systems and other technologies. (3/31)
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/31/business/economy/biden-invokes-cold-war-statute-to-boost-critical-mineral-supply.html
Mr. Biden invoked the Defense Production Act, a move that will give the government more avenues to provide support for the mining, processing and recycling of critical minerals, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese. Those rare materials are used to make large capacity batteries for electric cars and clean energy storage systems. Yet, except for a handful of mines and facilities, they are almost exclusively produced outside of the United States.
2) Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources -- Hearing On Domestic Critical Mineral Supply Chains
The purpose of the hearing is to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing domestic critical mineral mining, processing, refining, and reprocessing.
https://www.energy.senate.gov/hearings/2022/3/full-committee-hearing-on-domestic-critical-mineral-supply-chain
April 7, Hearing On The Scope And Scale Of Critical Mineral Demand And Recycling
https://www.energy.senate.gov/hearings/2022/4/full-committee-hearing-on-the-scope-and-scale-of-critical-mineral-demand-and-recycling