The Department of Energy (DOE) announced August 21 it had received $30 million from the Biden-Harris Administration to strengthen the U.S.’s critical minerals supply chain. The money, which was provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will allow the U.S. to meet the growing demand for critical minerals while reducing the country’s reliance on offshore suppliers.

The investment will fund research for a laboratory as well as the testing of economically viable extraction, separation and refining technologies to produce rare earth elements and critical minerals used in clean energy products.

To apply for funding, applicants must outline the societal and environmental impacts of their projects. From there, selected plans will be required to develop and implement strategies that provide community and worker benefits, such as reports on activities and project outcomes.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is helping rebuild America’s manufacturing sector by enhancing our ability to produce the critical minerals necessary to develop clean energy technologies,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “Thanks to these transformative investments, we are reducing our reliance on foreign supply chains while delivering high-quality jobs throughout the communities that have helped power the nation for generations.”

Since January 2021, the DOE has pledged roughly $41 million to projects that support critical minerals, material exploration and resource identification/processing. This includes $16 million to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that is being used to create a domestic materials processing facility that can extract and separate critical minerals and rare earth elements from unconventional sources like mining waste.