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

Trump continues push to expand domestic critical mineral production, refining 3/12/2025

Trump continues push to expand domestic critical mineral production, refining

Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange contributed to this article about how President Donald Trump is planning an executive order to build refining facilities on military bases to boost domestic production of critical minerals.  He is also reportedly planning to name a critical minerals czar that would help coordinate the efforts to expand production capacity.  March 12, 2025.

Ukraine’s Minerals Won’t Solve U.S. Supply Chain Problems 3/3/2025

Ukraine’s Minerals Won’t Solve U.S. Supply Chain Problems

Payne Institute Fellow Josh Busby, Emily J. Holland, and Director Morgan Bazilian write about how even from a purely interest-based perspective, however, there are several structural realities that prevent Ukraine’s extractive materials from contributing much to the U.S. national security community’s renewed interest in critical minerals.  March 3, 2025.

The Big Question Hanging over Trump’s Minerals Deal with Ukraine 2/27/2025

The Big Question Hanging over Trump’s Minerals Deal with Ukraine

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this article about how the U.S. has become intensely interested in Ukraine’s supposed mineral wealth, with Ukrainian and American negotiators working on a deal to create an investment fund for the country’s reconstruction that would be partially funded by developing the country’s mineral resources.  The question remains, are these minerals even economically viable?  February 27, 2025.  

Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line 2/26/25

Trump’s Chaotic Agenda Has a Critical Through Line

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about the whirlwind that has been U.S. President Donald Trump’s first month back in the Oval Office, analysts, officials, and diplomats have scrambled to understand the returning U.S. leader’s scattered—and often outlandish—foreign-policy fixations. February 26, 2025.

The Troubled Energy Transition 2/25/25

The Troubled Energy Transition

Payne Institute Advisory Board member Atul Arya wrote this article with Daniel Yergin and Peter Orzag about how in 2024 global production of wind and solar energy reached record levels—levels that would have seemed unthinkable not long before. Over the past 15 years, wind and solar have grown from virtually zero to 15 percent of the world’s electricity generation, and solar panel prices have fallen by as much as 90 percent. February 25, 2025.

Payne Institute helping to keep Native American sovereignty at heart of energy transition 2/24/2025

Payne Institute helping to keep Native American sovereignty at heart of energy transition

The Payne Institute for Public Policy is featured in this article about the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty Initiative launched in 2023.  The energy transition is a major undertaking that requires collaboration from all corners of industry — from oil and gas to solar and wind. But some of the most important — and potentially overlooked — stakeholders are Native Americans in the West. February 24, 2025.

US in ‘Final Stages’ of Agreeing to Ukraine Minerals Deal 2/24/2025

US in ‘Final Stages’ of Agreeing to Ukraine Minerals Deal: Kyiv

Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this article about how Kyiv and the United States are in the final stages of negotiating a minerals deal.  Ukraine has Europe’s largest reserves of titanium, used in aerospace, automotive, and medical industries, as well as uranium, the primary fuel source for nuclear power reactors and weapon production.  February 24, 2025.

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