The mining industry, involving the location, extraction, and chemical processing of raw materials into finished products, has been a pillar of the American economy for centuries. It should come as no surprise that the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and battery technology will continue to promote American miners across the country.

Research by CSIS finds that the expected growth of the EV industry will be the single-largest driver of demand for critical mineral and rare earth resources. By 2035, U.S. demand alone for lithium, nickel, and cobalt will be twenty-three times higher than 2021 levels, per S&P Global findings. And by 2050, EVs alone are anticipated to account for 90 percent, or 130 million metric tonnes of the critical minerals required for clean technology— the weight of about 1,500 Washington Monuments. 

Securing sustained and significant growth in the domestic mining industry will be critical to ensure that the U.S. can compete to supply in-demand products like EVs and batteries and meet national security, energy independence, and economic growth needs.

EV adoption is continuing to gain traction domestically and globally, having grown to 17 million sales last year worldwide, per research by IEA. As the EV industry continues to expand, the U.S. mining industry requires certainty in navigating demand. The Critical Mineral Consistency Act, reintroduced in both the House and the Senate, endorses responsible domestic mineral development. The bill harmonizes the Department of the Interior’s “critical mineral” list with the Department of Energy’s “critical material” list to establish congruent treatment. Maximizing the timely and responsible production of mineral commodities is paramount to meeting demand for electric vehicles.

Unfortunately, bringing a new mine online in the United States can take well over a decade. Recent data from S&P Global indicates it takes the U.S., on average, 29 years from first discovery to first production of a mine, longer than nearly any other country in the world. Expanding opportunities to support a robust domestic mining economy requires an efficient and predictable permitting process for extraction, refining, and processing projects. 

The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, reintroduced by Senators Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Risch (R-ID) in the Senate, and Reps. Amodei (R-NV-02) and Horsford (D-NV-04) in the House, was a response to the Rosemont court decision. This bill provides a bipartisan framework reestablishing certainty for American miners while upholding high environmental standards. This bill, if passed, would be vital for protecting the continued domestic production of minerals such as lithium, graphite, and copper. The Mining Regulatory Clarity Act recently passed the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in a bipartisan vote (14-6).

The shortage of at-home processing and refining facilities presents a dire situation for the U.S. mining industry. The U.S. faces a midstream workforce challenge caused by a loss of skilled labor in metallurgy, chemistry, and geological engineering. In contrast, China confers, on average, sixteen times more undergraduate mining engineering degrees than the U.S. annually. The reintroduction of the bipartisan Mining Schools Act of 2025, by Senators Barrasso (R-WY) and Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Reps. Owens (R-UT-04) and Costa (D-CA-21) in the House, aims to build a modern mining workforce supporting education, training, and talent recruitment and retention. This bill would provide the necessary public investment for the next generation of American miners and engineering professionals. 

With only a few lithium processing facilities, two primary copper smelters, and one nickel processing site, the U.S. has a midstream scarcity problem. In comparison, research by Goldman Sachs reveals China accounts for 85% of global rare earth and minerals refining; about 68%, 65%, and 60% of global cobalt, nickel, and lithium refining, respectively. China maintains a strong posture to dominate the EV market through bargaining, export control, and market manipulation power over rare earth elements and mineral commodities, causing artificial pricing markets for domestic miners. But, with a bipartisan commitment to securing mineral independence, the U.S. stands poised to compete.

Since 2021, the U.S. federal government has invested $4.9 billion into the domestic mining industry. The Colorado School of Mines approximates that over 80 percent of such federal funding is going directly into new mine development. But this investment is dwarfed by the fact that for the past fifteen years, U.S. counterparts like Canada have invested up to 81 percent more of their federal budgets in mine exploration. Recent federal investments in mining will strengthen America’s ability to expand production, but there is still a long way to go, especially in the midstream part of the supply chain. 

This isn’t for lack of resources. In fact, the U.S. has a substantial reserve of mineral commodities needed for advanced technologies like electric vehicles, defense applications, and consumer electronics. S&P Global estimates a domestic mineral commodities arsenal worth nearly $100 billion in raw copper, gold, lithium, and zinc. Federal actions and programmatic funding are successfully attracting tens of billions of dollars in private investment to expand mine extraction and critical mineral processing for clean energy technology, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. BloombergNEF finds that raw material demand needed to try to meet current net-zero goals would require a total of $2.1 trillion in new mining investment globally. 

Another hurdle is the simple fact that economically viable mineral deposits are quite rare to find. While the United States has vast mineral wealth, it will be nearly impossible to build out the supply chain for all the mined products needed for modern life with American mineral reserves alone. Working with allied nations to fill the gaps in our mineral supply chain is the best way to support the ongoing growth of the mining, refining, and processing sectors in the United States. 

The need for sustained investment in all aspects of the mining value chain is urgent— from extraction to refining, and processing to workforce development. A more timely and predictable permitting process, and continued relationships with American allies, will allow the United States to truly become the world leader in mining and refining, and electric vehicle and battery supply chains.