Critical Minerals: Status, Challenges, and Policy Options for Recovery from Nontraditional Sources
Critical minerals like lithium and cobalt feed technologies that keep the U.S. economy running. But other countries control much of the supply. One way to increase the U.S. supply of critical minerals is to recover them from nontraditional sources. For example, companies can extract minerals from piles of waste rock left at old mines. But using these sources poses challenges, such as high costs and concerns about being held liable for environmental damage by the original miners. In this Technology Assessment, we present options—such as financial incentives and liability protections—that policymakers could consider to address challenges.
Short title:
Critical Minerals: Status, Challenges, and Policy Options for Recovery from Nontraditional Sources
Start date:
2022-11
End date:
2024-00
Homepage:
https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106395
Project leader:
Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics team of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) (STAA)
Country:
United States of America
Publications:

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