California's capital city is called SACRAMENTO. President Joe Biden highlighted his efforts to counter China's dominance of the electric battery market on Tuesday as he promoted domestic efforts to mine and process rare metals needed to create the technology that powers cars, electronics, wind turbine and more.
The president announced that his administration is giving $35 million to a company that mines rare earth metals in Southern California. The funding will allow MP to process the materials domestically.
He talked about efforts to extract brine from the Salton Sea. Biden said the U.S. demand for such materials will double over the next several decades.
If we are dependent on China for the materials that power the products of today and tomorrow, we can't build a future that is made in America. It is pro-America.
Biden spoke from Washington to a group of California business and government leaders.
The only one of its kind in North America is the Mountain Pass mine and processing facility. It produces a concentrate that is exported for use in other countries. Magnets needed for batteries in electric cars and other items are produced by using such metals.
The federal money will help the company create a processing facility for rare earth metals. The company is spending $700 million of its own money to improve processing and build a manufacturing facility in Texas. Matt Sloustcher, senior vice president for policy and communications, said that the company has a deal with General GM.
The company's chief executive officer told Biden on the call that his team was committed to bringing the supply chain home.
In California, Biden talked about the production of lithium. The state of Saudi Arabia is referred to as the Saudi Arabia of lithium because of its abundance of oil.
California's potential to boost national security by improving domestic supply chains is one of the reasons why the state has been chosen as the location for the world's largest lithium mine. The nation could produce half-million electric cars by the year 2025.
If it is as big as it appears to be, it will be a game-changer in terms of our efforts to transition to low-carbon green growth and to change the way we produce and consume energy.
Several companies, including Warren Buffet's company, are working to extract the brine from the Salton Sea. The brine has historically been pumped back under the ground with the power generated.
With state and federal investments of about $20 million, the company is working on projects to demonstrate it can extract the lithium and convert it to battery-grade in a way that is commercially viable.
The areas around the Salton Sea have been hit by economic hardship and environmental degradation due to the drying up of the Colorado River.
Biden communities in the region have seen unfulfilled promises before, according to the chairwoman of the state-created Lithium Valley Commission. She called for investments in career development and education for people in the region as well as improvements to basic services.
She said that they want to be at the table and help people understand what a prosperous economy means.
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