Department of Energy Releases Critical Metal Strategy
December 15, 2010
At our conference this past March, Assistant Energy Secretary David Sandalow announced that the Department of Energy will be convening a task force to evaluate exposure to critical metals.
Today, the Department of Energy released its strategy. Secretary Steven Chu states in the foreword:
"Many new and emerging clean energy technologies, such as the components of wind turbines and electric vehicles, depend on materials with unique properties. The availability of a number of these materials is at risk due to their location, vulnerability to supply disruptions and lack of suitable substitutes. As part of the Department of Energy’s efforts to advance a clean energy economy, we have developed a Critical Materials Strategy to examine and address this challenge. The Critical Materials Strategy builds on the Department’s previous work in this area and provides a foundation for future action. This Strategy is a first step toward a comprehensive response to the challenges before us. We hope it will also encourage others to engage in a dialogue about these issues and work together to achieve our Nation’s clean energy goals. Ensuring reliable access to critical materials will help the United States lead in the new clean energy economy."
Read the report here:
http://www.energy.gov/news/documents/criticalmaterialsstrategy.pdf
