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Presented by The American Beverage Association: | | | | |  | | By Jordan Wolman | | | | | | | 
| We're going to need a lot of minerals for the clean energy transition -- think copper, nickel and lithium, among others. We’ll need those minerals for solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicle batteries and battery storage for renewable energy. Lithium in particular is a key component for batteries – but China controls most battery processing, and current trade tensions and national security concerns are raising concerns about the reliability of that source. New data from The Nature Conservancy shows the U.S. would be able to make serious inroads in obtaining lithium to achieve energy goals and weaning off foreign dependency by extracting the mineral within our own borders. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Nevada alone has 8.5 million metric tons of lithium – enough to meet global demand for 85 years. California has another million tons. Lithium resources in the top five states – Nevada, California, Arkansas, North Carolina and Utah – would meet the world’s needs for more than a century based on current global demand and market conditions. And it may be needed as the energy transition accelerates. Global demand for lithium is projected to skyrocket to up to 40 times what it is today by 2040. Even so, this snapshot in time gives a window into the economic benefits that lithium could bring to the U.S. The Nature Conservancy found, using April lithium prices and data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, that lithium could account for nearly 20 years of Nevada’s state GDP. For Arkansas, lithium potential could total 1.2 years’ worth of state GDP.
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association: At America’s beverage companies our plastic bottles are made to be remade. We’re carefully designing them to be 100% recyclable, including the caps—so every bottle can become a new one. That means less plastic waste in our environment. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | It’s worth noting mining lithium won’t immediately solve everything, said Jordy Lee, a program manager at the Colorado School of Mines’ Payne Institute for Public Policy. China’s hold on cathode and battery manufacturing means that right now, even if more lithium was mined in the U.S., the raw materials would likely still have to be shipped to China for processing.
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| Mining and critical minerals supply is a hot topic these days. Democrats have introduced legislation that would reform a 150-year mining law that’s still governing hardrock mining on federal land. The bill, which will get a hearing in a House subcommittee on Thursday, would for the first time make hardrock mining companies pay a federal royalty rate. Lawmakers pushing the legislation are looking to thread a needle between the growing need for more mining and battery processing capabilities with the reality that mining is listed by the EPA as one of the most toxic industries. Plus, some communities just don’t want a new mine in their backyard and have actively fought against some projects. It’s put the Biden administration in a tricky position, balancing the need for critical minerals with environmental concerns about mining. The administration praised new mines getting off the ground and invoked the Defense Production Act to spur additional minerals supply in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And environmental groups like Earthworks and Earthjustice are recognizing the role of mining in greening the economy even as they push for reform.
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association:   | | | | | | GAME ON — Welcome to the Long Game, where we tell you about the latest on efforts to shape our future. We deliver data-driven storytelling, compelling interviews with industry and political leaders, and news Tuesday through Friday to keep you in the loop on sustainability.
| | | | INTRODUCING DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | Team Sustainability is editor Greg Mott, deputy editor Debra Kahn and reporters Lorraine Woellert and Jordan Wolman. Reach us all at gmott@politico.com, dkahn@politico.com, lwoellert@politico.com and jwolman@politico.com. Want more? Don’t we all. Sign up for the Long Game . Four days a week and still free!
| | | | A message from The American Beverage Association: America’s leading beverage companies - The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo - are working together to reduce our industry’s plastic footprint through our Every Bottle Back initiative. We’re investing in efforts to get our bottles back so we can remake them into new bottles and use less new plastic.
Together, we’re:
· Designing 100% recyclable plastic bottles – we’re making our bottles from PET that’s strong, lightweight and easy to recycle.
· Investing in community recycling – we’re marshalling the equivalent of nearly a half-billion dollars with The Recycling Partnership and Closed Loop Partners to support community recycling programs across multiple states.
· Raising awareness – we’re adding on-pack reminders to encourage consumers to recycle our plastic bottles and caps.
Our bottles are made to be remade. Please help us get Every Bottle Back. EveryBottleBack.org | | | | | | — Representatives from 40 countries are gathering in Copenhagen, aiming to regain COP26 green-transition momentum that has waned since Russia invaded Ukraine, Politico’s Karl Mathiesen, Zack Colman and Zia Wiese report. — Germany is building new LNG terminals as it looks to wean itself from Russia’s energy resources. Bloomberg reports that those facilities could be converted to handle green fuels. — General Motors CEO Mary Barra tells the New York Times that her company will take advantage of market expansion and efficiencies to become a leader in EV sales. — Meanwhile, EV startup Rivian Automotive Inc. is maintaining its 2022 production forecast, citing expectations that supply-chain problems will ease later this year. The Wall Street Journal has the story.
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