Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the Pentagon needs to address reliance on Chinese-dominated weapons materials, lawmakers say. Lawmakers are mulling a slew of new authorities and reporting requirements designed to shore up the U.S. supply chain of critical minerals as tensions with China deepen. June 30, 2023.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how desperate to diversify away from Beijing, Washington is ramping up efforts to jump-start its struggling domestic industry. Washington’s focus on plugging strategic vulnerabilities amid worsening U.S.-China relations has also reignited U.S. efforts to control crucial, yet often overlooked, materials: critical minerals. June 30, 2023.
Fabian Villalobos and Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian write about how the U.S. and China engage in a decades long, high stakes, increasingly brutal game, elbowing one another to gain and maintain advantage across several technological and manufacturing capabilities. This tit-for-tat has most recently led to sweeping legislation in the U.S., such as the CHIPS and Science Act, which aims to stymie China’s technological innovation and dominance over supply chains, especially for advanced products that are crucial for modern economies and warfare. June 25, 2023.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast discussing that after a rare visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Beijing this week, a group of lawmakers are meeting with American car companies to urge them to lessen their reliance on Chinese electric vehicle parts — especially batteries. To build its refining capacity, the U.S. will have to cite, permit and develop infrastructure, which is hard to accomplish. June 20, 2023.
Payne Institute Fellow Dustin Mulvaney and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how from 2020 through 2022 the solar industry experienced supply chain disruptions that caused price increases and trade restrictions, causing project delays and cancelations. Fixing the weak links in solar supply chain, where a significant sourcing is from China, will require multiple interventions that diversify the geography of manufacturing and lead some countries to re-shore production. Increased attention to sustainability and low carbon manufacturing initiatives through public policy, standards, and certification would hasten these developments and maximize the benefits of solar investments. June 17, 2023.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is on this podcast discussing why critical minerals have emerged as a major issue in the U.S.-China geopolitical competition. Topics include critical minerals, foreign policy, national security, and China. April 25, 2023.
Payne Institute Fellow Cullen Hendrix and Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how the United States and allies aim to sidestep reliance on China for the materials needed for clean tech and advanced defense gear. U.S. lawmakers are scrambling to weaken China’s grip on the critical mineral supply chains that are key to the global energy transition, as escalating tensions stoke fears of strategic vulnerabilities and potential geopolitical disruptions. April 14, 2023.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributes to this article about how the Biden administration on Friday released guidance that it hopes will alter the landscape for electric vehicles by pivoting the nation from gas-guzzling cars and bolster its aggressive climate goals. But major questions remain around exactly how the new tax regime will keep out China-linked cars, components and minerals; whether and how the federal government can enforce the law; whether industry can scale up fast enough; and how many EVs will qualify for the $7,500-per-vehicle credit under last year’s landmark Inflation Reduction Act. March 31, 2023.
Benjamin K. Sovacool, Payne Institute Director Morgan D. Bazilian, Jinsoo Kim, and Fellow Steven Griffiths write about how the rapid and deep decarbonization of global industry is key to reaching climate policy targets, yet it remains an incredibly difficult challenge. They propose six bold steps for accelerating progress on achieving net-zero industrial carbon emissions by mid-century with a focus on lessons learned and emerging analysis from both the Global North and Global South, the latter of which we consider as low or middle income countries primarily located in Africa, Asia and Latin America. March 30, 2023.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian, Emily H. Holland, and Fellow Joshua Busby write about how rethinking supply chains is vital for U.S. security. The crucial role of supply chains and logistics in military operations. Simply stated, supply chains win wars and save lives. Materials need to be in the right place at the right time. March 16, 2023.