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Most EV batteries use nickel, cobalt, and lithium. Their prices shot up because of rising demand for EVs in recent years. But some say mining these metals is bad for the environment

In March 2022, Biden said he would use the Defense Production Act -- a law from the Cold War -- to boost mining for the minerals in EV batteries

But Forbes said Biden’s plan to boost U.S. production of EV raw materials won’t get very far unless we overhaul the permitting process

E&E News agreed. Mining companies are happy with more funds for things like feasibility studies. But cutting through the permitting process would have a much faster impact. Maybe the EPA should hire more staff to speed up review?

The PBS News Hour also said the real issue is permitting. President Biden’s DPA order alone probably won’t lead to enough mining to make a difference. Environmentalists also worry that new mines will pollute groundwater

The EV industry pointed to another issue: We need to fix the EV battery supply chain. How about Biden use the Defense Production Act to do that?

On that point, The WSJ reports on a new $3.5b battery-materials plant being built near Reno, Nevada. It’ll be one of the first U.S. plants producing intermediate materials for EV batteries, from raw materials like lithium

WaPo said new mines for EV metals are a wedge issue for a lot of Democrats and environmentalists. On the one hand, EV batteries are good for the planet! On the other, there’s the environmental damage from mining

E&E News also reported on environmental justice disputes that hold up the mining process. Those -- especially the ones involving Native Americans -- are another reason new mines are stalled

Elon Musk said getting enough nickel was his “biggest concern” when scaling up production of lithium-ion batteries. Tesla even switched to an iron cathode -- which doesn’t need nickel -- for its entry-level cars

Tesla, by the way, has been able to weather the nickel shortage better than most, says Business Insider. That’s because it made some smart nickel investments before the crisis, including in nickel mines

Also by the way, the U.S. only has one nickel mine but plenty of nickel deposits. The Washington Examiner said we need an “American mining evolution”

On lithium, Australia produces the most of it in the world, followed by Chile and China. They’ve been producing a lot more lithium in recent years, but not enough to meet the new demand

The U.S. produces little lithium, but there are proposed new mines. The largest is at Thacker Pass in Nevada. In a Reno Gazette Journal Op, the mining company says we need to mine for the planet

But another Reno Gazette Journal Op called Thacker Pass “a bright green lie.” Fighting climate change can’t come at the expense of local communities

Vice News details the odd political alignment over Thacker Pass -- environmentalists v. environmentalists -- in this video

And what about cobalt? Nearly 70% of the global supply of cobalt is in the Congo, which is rife with human rights issues and just goes to China. The good news is we have a cobalt belt in Idaho

But maybe there’s an alternative to all these toxic metals? Vice.com reports that new research shows how chitin -- a material found in crab exoskeletons -- can be used for efficient and green batteries

And Gizmodo argued we may not need as much of these metals as we think. With smaller cars, better public transit, and denser neighborhoods, we could reduce our lithium demand by as much as 90%