Supply Chain Transparency
Understanding how the future energy system will impact the global supply chain and associated effects on markets, communities and the environment
Understanding how the future energy system will impact the global supply chain and associated effects on markets, communities and the environment
The global supply chain continues to grow at an incredible rate, but within that growth, a lack of transparency undermines many industries and consumers as they struggle to understand the effects of the supply chain on the markets, communities and the environment.
Payne Supply Chain Transparency works with the Critical Materials Institute, the U.S. government, and policy other stakeholders to better understand the challenges and opportunities related to growing critical mineral demand.
Low-carbon scenarios often have—implicitly or explicitly—high and diverse material needs, depending on what assumptions are made about the nature of future energy systems. As certain technologies become more prominent, it becomes easier to identify what materials will be needed in the near term.
It is important to acknowledge the inherent tensions that exist between building a sustainable future and not managing or understanding the sources and materials with which it is built.
For more information about the Supply Chain Transparency Initiative at the Payne Institute for Public Policy, please contact our Deputy Director, Gregory Clough, at gclough@mines.edu.
NEWS
CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CHAIN: ROLE AND IMPACT OF ASM 2/6/2025
CRITICAL MINERALS SUPPLY CHAIN: ROLE AND IMPACT OF ASM
Payne Institute Critical Minerals Program Manager Clarkson Kamurai, Student Researchers Isabel Guajardo and Grace Akinyi, Energy Finance Lab Director Brad Handler and Faculty Fellow Ian Lange write about how a significant increase in the supply of dozens of so-called “critical minerals” will be needed in the coming decades, for uses ranging from defense to no- and low-carbon energy. Mineral endowment and production capacity have therefore become crucial assets for developing economies. Yet one set of the stakeholders — artisanal and small-scale mining (collectively referred to here as ASM) — tends to be overlooked and may prove to be crucial. February 6, 2025.
Mines professor testifies before U.S. House on critical role of domestic mining in national security 2/6/2025
Mines professor testifies before U.S. House on critical role of domestic mining in national security
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian testified before the U.S. House Natural Resources Energy & Minerals Subcommittee, delivering key insights on the intersection between domestic mining, national security and economic sustainability. February 6, 2025.
The US-Canada trade war is on pause, but if that changes, what could it mean for Colorado? 2/4/2025
The US-Canada trade war is on pause, but if that changes, what could it mean for Colorado?
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how the Trump Administration has put a 30-day pause on its proposed tariffs on Canadian imports. This is, however, just a pause, and that means Colorado could still see impacts if the administration eventually decides to press play. February 4, 2025.
Bigger than the Berlin Airlift: How NATO’s natural gas shut down a key Russian pipeline 1/29/2025
Bigger than the Berlin Airlift: How NATO’s natural gas shut down a key Russian pipeline
Payne Institute Director, Accelerated Methane Reduction Initiative Simon Lomax, Director Morgan Bazilian, and Deputy Director Greg Clough write about how on January 10, the US Treasury Department announced the most significant sanctions on Russian oil since 2014. And on January 1, over the objections of Moscow, a contract allowing for pipeline deliveries of Russian natural gas across Ukraine and into the European Union expired. This is an astonishing achievement, both in technical and economic terms. January 29, 2025.
The Paradox of Trump’s Critical Minerals Crusade 1/28/2025
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how kneecapping demand from clean energy is a funny way to boost supply. While new clean energy projects won’t disappear overnight, the growth trajectory of the sector may be imperiled, which in turn means that incremental future demand for critical minerals in the United States has likely diminished. January 28, 2025.
The A.I. – Energy Revolution – Fueled by the White House and Rare Earth Metals! (and China!) 1/28/2025
The A.I. – Energy Revolution – Fueled by the White House and Rare Earth Metals! (and China!)
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how a swath of the new US administration policies are being aimed at bolstering domestic production of critical minerals and strengthening the U.S. energy supply chain. Much of that was done to reduce the U.S. foreign dependence on trade and boost energy security, but there’s a hidden beneficiary that investors should be paying close attention to: artificial intelligence (AI). January 28, 2025.
New article in Science focuses on empowering Tribes through the just extraction of energy resources on their lands 1/24/2025
New article in Science focuses on empowering Tribes through the just extraction of energy resources on their lands
The Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) and group of Native American leaders write about how a rapidly changing energy system, increasing energy and critical minerals demand and related national security imperatives present Native American Tribes with a generational economic opportunity, according to a new Letter in Science. January 24, 2025.
A path to US Tribal energy sovereignty 1/23/2025
A path to US Tribal energy sovereignty
The Payne Institute Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty (NAMES) Initiative and co-writers look at Native American Tribal lands that are extraordinarily rich with energy and mineral resources. A rapidly changing energy system, increasing energy demand, and energy-related national security imperatives present Tribes with a generational economic opportunity. January 23, 2025.
The U.S. Military Risks Mineral Shortages in a U.S.-China War 1/23/2025
The U.S. Military Risks Mineral Shortages in a U.S.-China War
Payne Institute Fellow Gregory Wischer writes about how today, the U.S. military is at a greater risk of severe mineral shortages if a U.S.-China war were to unfold: the United States has limited mineral stockpiles; low domestic mineral production; and heavy mineral import reliance, including from its great power rival, China. January 23, 2025.
Sibanye Stillwater’s lessons about US mining sufficiency 1/22/2025
Sibanye Stillwater’s lessons about US mining sufficiency
Payne Institute Student Researcher Annie Welch, Critical Minerals Program Manager Clarkson Kamurai, and Energy Finance Lab Director Brad Handler write about how the economic challenges for Sibanye Stillwater’s U.S. Platinum/Palladium mining operations. The analysis offers an illustration of the limitation of recent Inflation Reduction Act tax incentives (45X). January 22, 2025.
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