Photo Credit: Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
Video of the event can be found here
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined a fireside chat with Gracelin Baskaran, the Director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), to discuss her work to strengthen the U.S.’s critical mineral supply chain, support critical mineral projects in Nevada, and better compete with China on a world stage. This conversation was featured in CSIS’s Critical Minerals and Economic Security Forum.
“Nevada is on the frontlines of domestic critical mineral extraction and production, helping our country stand up to Communist China and generate revolutionary technology,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I was proud to join Director Baskaran to highlight my work to support the Silver State as it leads the way in strengthening America’s critical mineral supply chain.”
Critical minerals are necessary for energy production and manufacturing advanced technology, making them pivotal not only to America’s economy, but also to its national security. Nevada is at the forefront of expanding America’s critical mineral supply chain. The Silver State is home to the ‘Lithium Loop,’ a region in Northern Nevada where critical minerals are mined, processed, and recycled. Albemarle’s Silver Peak in Nevada is the only facility in the country with commercial-scale lithium production. Nevada is actively expanding its critical mineral capacity with the Thacker Pass lithium project, which will be able to produce over 40,000 metric tons of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year when it comes online.
Senator Cortez Masto is a champion of domestic critical mineral extraction and production, particularly in Nevada. Earlier this year, she called on the Trump Administration to take strategic action to protect, invest in, and strengthen America’s critical mineral supply chain. Cortez Masto has led bipartisan bills to establish a Critical Minerals Security Alliance with America’s global trading partners, to strengthen the domestic supply chain of rare earth magnets, and to allow critical mineral production to continue in the West. She has also been a consistent advocate for the Thacker Pass Lithium Project in Humboldt County, which will soon be a major hub of critical mineral mining and production.
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