Pleased to be quoted here on the strategic goals of ‘Pax Silica’ and realistic chances of success as AI, critical minerals, and battery supply chains collide.

How U.S. Defense Industry Dodged a Rare-Earth Shortage After China’s Curbs www.nytimes.com/2025/12/22/b...

The White House’s tech ambitions have intensified its critical minerals scramble. foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/18/t...

Tungsten is called "the armor plate of conflict" for a reason. foreignpolicy.com/2025/11/12/u...

Didn't realize China's exports were on this trajectory despite tariffs. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

How China’s Rare Earth Chokehold Could Strangle Europe’s Military Buildup www.nytimes.com/2025/11/06/b...

The recent flurry of minerals deal in the US is obviously encouraging but highlights the fact that China still retains significant leverage. thanks @foreignpolicy.com @christinalu.bsky.social for the chance to comment here. foreignpolicy.com/2025/10/31/t...

New pod is out and we go deep into the world of rare earths, government, and strategy with author and Director at 3 Legged Capital David Abraham who literally wrote the book on these topics long before they became front page news. clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

Another reason why diffuse supply chains are in everyone's interest. www.ft.com/content/aada...

Alienating your friends when you're trying to reindustrialize in a critical technology is just plain boneheaded. foreignpolicy.com/2025/09/12/h...

Brazil Wanted America’s Help Mining Rare Earths. Then Came Tariffs. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/21/w...

Pleased to welcome Ken Brinsden CEO of Patriot Battery Metals to the pod. Recorded at the Fastmarkets lithium conference in Las Vegas. We discuss the evolution of the lithium ecosystem, cesium, & vertical integration amongst other topics. clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

“Companies are willing to do whatever China wants to get the supplies,” www.ft.com/content/0fce...

I wonder if they believe this in Washington? www.ft.com/content/c254...

My new piece with my former DOD colleague Greg Pollock on what rollback of Inflation Reduction Act incentives would mean for national security and economic primacy. We argue that it would be akin to an act of surrender to China. nationalinterest.org/blog/energy-...

The pod this week covers innovation in the electricity distribution market. Why did the blackout in Spain & Portugal happen? Why did a blown transformer shut down Heathrow Airport? Tantalus Systems CEO Peter Londa has the answers and some unique solutions. open.spotify.com/episode/5Fh3...

Hard to see how a 90 day pause makes it any easier for companies to make multi-hundred million (or billion) dollar CAPEX decisions.

Article makes the case that there is a viable (economic) path for reindustrialization in the US and to paraphrase Paul Krugman, "productivity is *almost* everything in the long run." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The pod this week is a terrific convo on the critical metals supply chain and a way forward with Ashley Zumwalt-Forbes. Really sharp insights on how the public and private sectors should work together to compete. clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

"The battery maker said it would have booked an 83 billion won operating loss without a tax credit received under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act" Underscores how essential tax credits are to achieving profitable scale in the US. www.reuters.com/business/aut...

Interesting to note which commodities will and won't benefit from the trade war. Copper 🚀 www.ft.com/content/72da...

A good case study on how businesses are affected by political uncertainty which feeds directly into economics: “The [two]-way flow of rare earth materials between the U.S. and China has ceased as a result of the tariffs levied in each jurisdiction” www.wsj.com/business/lyn...

Today's pod is a master class in black mass and battery recycling with the excellent Lee Allen from Fastmarkets. We go deep on the nuances & incredibly strong growth potential of this market & look into how recycling evolves as supply chains reorient. clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

Geologist warns prospect of a mineral bonanza in Greenland is a mirage www.cbsnews.com/news/geologi...

what is the point of another investigation and report when we already know the answer? www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/...

It will be interesting to see what the Trump Admin does to get the ban lifted once it starts to bite. If you're going to go after your adversary with a sledgehammer, you better have your bases covered. www.nytimes.com/2025/04/13/b...

He (thankfully) blinked again....

The question isn't if these export controls are good for ex-China rare earth producers (they are, on balance), but instead do these export controls shift the cost structure of the industry so ex-China players can compete? www.ft.com/content/6150...

So what are the next China-sourced refined metals and tech that will be subject to tighter export controls after today?

Scoop hidden in my @heatmap.news story today: Trade groups representing Tesla and US mining companies with deals to give $TSLA battery metals are publicly sounding the alarm that Trump’s tariffs will make it much harder to build out an American manufacturing base heatmap.news/economy/trum...

These tariffs are shaping up to be the biggest economic own goal I have ever seen. www.ft.com/content/c182...

"China calmly walked over to the supply chain and yanked out a handful of critical bolts... The materials China just restricted aren’t random. They’re chosen with the precision of someone who’s read U.S. product spec sheets and defense procurement orders." Indium: touchscreens, TV displays, etc

Commented on the tariff "logic", minerals exemptions, and the impact on critical metals in the United States www.spglobal.com/market-intel...

The law of unintended consequences strikes again!

I wrote about Trump’s aggressive posturing on critical minerals, its continuities with the his first term + Biden, & why building up domestic industries demands a lot more than resource grabs and slashing red tape (Ft. @triofrancos.bsky.social & @cberry1.bsky.social) newrepublic.com/article/1931...

Erik Olson, President at Venn Strategies joins me to discuss the graphite supply chain including the view from Washington, tariff implications and how the North American Graphite Alliance is designed to help. clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

Pleased to be quoted here on the crucial role of copper in electrification. Thanks @henryepp.bsky.social www.marketplace.org/2025/03/21/c...

Amazing how the Chinese government wants to protect IP from falling into the “wrong hands” while American companies have been more than willing to give up IP to get a presence in China for decades. www.ft.com/content/36ae...

It's all talk until you can find a way to expedite permitting. www.ft.com/content/96f0...

Not much new here if you're familiar with the story. Next week, my next podcast guest and I will delve into what is and isn't working to establish a reliable graphite supply chain in NA. www.wsj.com/business/chi...

Joining me on the podcast this week is Tem Tumurbat Co-Founder at Nomadic Venture Partners. We take a ride through the current venture capital landscape for decarb tech and discuss his investment process, how he thinks about scaling tech, and the "5 T's". clearcommodity.net/podcasts/pow...

*ONTARIO'S FORD DETAILS PLAN TO RETALIATE TO US TARIFFS *ONTARIO WILL STOP NICKEL SHIPMENTS GOING INTO US: PREMIER FORD

Pleased to be on @npr.org Marketplace today discussing the challenges of building a domestic critical metal supply chain. Hit starts at 19:07 mark. High cost of capital, low metal prices, & tariffs are significant but not insurmountable headwinds www.marketplace.org/shows/market...

The upcoming loyalty test regarding the future of the IRA will be telling about political priorities both in the short and long term. www.ft.com/content/e627...

Pleased to be quoted here on the challenges associated with lithium development in Bolivia thedialogue.org/wp-content/u...

Good article on the challenges (futility) of decoupling. foreignpolicy.com/2025/01/29/t...