When the above budget is passed, here are the things that will occur (Unite States). These are highlights I lifted right out of the bill that was signed into law:

The United States depends on unreliable foreign sources for many of the strategic and critical materials necessary for the clean energy transition — such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese for large-capacity batteries. Demand for such materials is projected to increase exponentially as the world transitions to a clean energy economy.

(1) sustainable and responsible domestic mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing of strategic and critical materials for the production of large-capacity batteries for the automotive, e-mobility, and stationary storage sectors are essential to the national defense;

(b) Consistent with section 303(a)(1) of the Act, the Secretary of Defense shall create, maintain, protect, expand, or restore sustainable and responsible domestic production capabilities of such strategic and critical materials by supporting feasibility studies for mature mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing projects; by-product and co-product production at existing mining, mine waste reclamation, and other industrial facilities; mining, beneficiation, and value-added processing modernization to increase productivity, environmental sustainability, and workforce safety; and any other such activities authorized under section 303(a)(1) of the Act.

The United States depends on unreliable foreign sources for many of the strategic and critical materials necessary for the clean energy transition, such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and manganese used in large-capacity batteries. Demand for such materials is projected to increase exponentially as the world transitions to a clean energy economy. The DPA Title III authorities enables DoD to undertake actions, including but not limited to, feasibility studies and modernization projects for mature mining, benefication, and value-added processing projects to increase productivity, environmental sustainability, and workforce safety. It also allows for by-product and co-product production at existing mining, mine waste reclamation, and other industrial facilities.

Adds Australia and the United Kingdom to Title III of the US Defense Production Act. This Act allows the US Government to incentivise its industrial base to expand the production and supply of critical materials and goods. Australia’s addition will open new opportunities for Australian based industry to directly compete for business with the US Government.

•Expands the definition of a “domestic source” for the purpose of the Defense
Production Act Title III program to include the United Kingdom and Australia.

• Supports DOD efforts to strengthen domestic production of strategic and critical
materials.
• Provides additional flexibilities and authorities through the Strategic and Critical
Materials Stockpiling Act, and authorizes the National Defense Stockpile to dispose of
certain materials that have been determined to be excess to Stockpile requirements.
• Provides a new authority to enter into multi-year contracts and advanced procurement
through the National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund for domestically processed
critical materials.

Requires DOD to issue policies and establish procedures to identify end-of-life
equipment that contains rare earth elements and other strategic materials to be
recovered and reused by DOD.

a list of 50 minerals the U.S. Geological Survey deems “critical to the U.S. economy and national security,” including aluminum, cobalt, graphite, magnesium, manganese, titanium, tungsten and zinc.

The fiscal 2023 defense policy bill boosted the National Defense Stockpile by $1 billion specifically to acquire critical minerals. And the 2022 climate, tax and health care law created a tax credit to encourage the domestic production of critical minerals used in renewable energy generation, storage and related manufacturing.

And President Joe Biden invoked the Defense Production Act to strengthen the U.S. industrial base for large-capacity batteries, specifically targeting lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and manganese.“The Pentagon is taking it very seriously and, from what I can tell, is one of the most sophisticated players in the critical minerals supply chain discussion and action,”

authorize multiyear contracting for domestic processing of rare earth elements, an effort to show U.S. companies that the Pentagon is committed to broadening its critical mineral industrial base for the long term. “You have to signal to the private sector that there’s going to be a demand — for the mining companies, the refining companies and most importantly for the investors,”