A letter to the Department of War in support of investment into domestic lithium supply chains, including a massive, untapped lithium deposit that stretches across the southern United States, was led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
The letter, also signed by Sens. John Boozman (R-AR) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), was addressed on Tuesday to the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) director, David Lorch.
Naming the Smackover Formation, North America’s top lithium brine resource that spans from Central Texas to the Florida Panhandle, the senators wrote that “recent assessments indicate the Formation may represent one of the most significant lithium brine deposits in the Western Hemisphere.”
“Domestic production from this region could materially reduce American dependence on foreign-controlled lithium sources and provide a reliable upstream supply for domestic defense manufacturers,” the Republican lawmakers explained.
Lithium is a necessary building block for the U.S. military’s munitions and advanced weapons systems, including platforms like the well-known Tomahawk and Hellfire missiles.
The letter went on to acknowledge that the Department of War “share[s] our conviction that allowing strategic vulnerabilities in our mineral supply chains is not an option that the United States can afford,” before urging the Pentagon to “treat Smackover lithium development as a priority investment target worthy of OSC engagement, Title III Defense Production Act authorities, and other available financing mechanisms.”
A list of questions regarding the criteria for high-priority lithium investment and the department’s process on obtaining the critical mineral followed, requesting answers by May 25.
The lawmakers also asked Lorch to let them know if his office needs any legislative provisions or resources that “materially enhance OSC’s ability to support lithium projects such as those in the Smackover Formation.”
The letter comes on the heels of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum highlighting domestic lithium production as a win for national security and the economy:
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News, Cotton called it an “unacceptable vulnerability” that the United States produces just one percent of the world’s lithium “while China controls the global supply chain.”
Cotton, who is regularly a hawk on China, continued on to say that “investing in domestic lithium production, like the Smackover Formation in south Arkansas, should be a national security priority.”
“I’m working with the Department of War to prioritize domestic lithium production and detangle our supply chains from Communist China,” the Arkansas Republican added.
Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.
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