Contributed article
TUCSON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema met with Arizona mining, defense, and environmental industry leaders to discuss ways they can continue working together to fix ongoing supply chain challenges impacting businesses and consumers across the state. Sinema also highlighted how her bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law strengthens supply chains and boosts responsible production of critical minerals mining and research that strengthen our national defense.
Sinema’s meeting follows up on previous discussions with mining and defense leaders from Arizona, representing her focus on engaging and partnering with Arizonans to address supply chain challenges, lower the cost of goods, expand economic opportunity, and help everyday families return to normal.
“Arizona is a hub for innovation – where cutting-edge technologies are created and brought to market, helping America compete globally while ensuring a safer world. I’m focused on addressing inflation and supply chain challenges affecting Arizona families and businesses – and I remain committed to supporting the needs of Arizona’s defense, mining, and clean energy industries so Arizona can continue to grow, thrive, and lead,” said Sinema, co-author and lead negotiator of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.
In May, Sinema backed new, bipartisan legislation investing in Arizona’s energy future by supporting jobs and university mining educational programs focused on extracting critical minerals, rare earth minerals, and mine remediation. The University of Arizona – where Sinema’s roundtable was hosted – would be positioned to earn grants under Sinema’s bipartisan legislation for their mining and geological engineering program.
Critical minerals remain essential components for the clean energy products and infrastructure of the future, and are integral to bolstering national defense. During the roundtable, Sinema highlighted the historic responsible investments in Arizona mining, clean energy technologies, and critical minerals in her bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law.
Sinema’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law funds a federal study of the use of abandoned mine lands and mine waste for critical minerals extraction as part of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. The bipartisan legislation also invests billions of dollars into new grants, facilities, and programs – many of which Arizona is expected to compete for – including:
- $3 billion for Battery Material Processing Grants
- $3 billion for Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Grants
- $320 million into the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative
- $167 million to establish a USGS Energy and Minerals Research Facility
- $140 million to establish a Rare Earth Elements Demonstration Facility
- $200 million for an Electric Drive Vehicle Battery Recycling and Second-Life Applications Program
- $750 million for an Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program
- $100 million for Critical Minerals Mining and Recycling Research
The recent Senate-passed Inflation Reduction Act includes provisions further investing in the responsible production of critical minerals, including:
- $10 billion allocated for an advanced manufacturing tax credit, which includes the domestic production of critical minerals
- $500 million appropriated for enhanced use of the Defense Production Act, which President Biden recently invoked to support critical minerals production
- New authorization for $40 billion in loan guarantees for the Department of Energy’s Innovative Technologies Loan Guarantee Program, which could be used to support critical minerals projects and builds off of authorizations in Sinema’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs law
