A Critical Foundation
The greatest challenge of the 21st century will be the battle for resources.
Yet, America has been handed an opportunity beneath our feet. In the hills of northern Appalachia lies one of the largest untapped lithium reserves in the world, and the numbers tell a story that should be driving national headlines.
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Appalachian region contains an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of recoverable lithium, large enough to reshape the country’s entire economic landscape. That supply alone could replace more than 300 years of lithium imports at current consumption rates. As the United States still relies on other countries for more than half of its lithium needs, that kind of stockpile could reshape trade for decades.
If we choose to tap this deposit, America would strengthen our national security, because lithium is a strategic resource essential to powering our modern defense systems and battery storage. The same geological survey shows this mountain supply could produce enough material for 1.6 million grid-scale batteries, or enough to power 130 million electric vehicles. It could even support the production of 500 billion smartphones, making it a gamechanger for the defense industry.
More resources within our borders represents true independence. Today, global lithium production and processing is heavily concentrated in countries like Australia, Chile, and China, leaving supply chains vulnerable to disruption, and worse, adversarial advantage. If the government allows for development of northern Appalachia’s reserves, the United States can reclaim control over a critical mineral supply chain.
The American Security Coalition recognizes a power play like this would not only fuel our economy, but it would free us from dependence on other countries, while unleashing our economy.
The estimated value of these deposits sits at roughly $65 billion. From mining and refining to battery manufacturing and downstream innovation, each stage of development represents jobs that can—and should—be created here at home. The Appalachian mountains, a region long abandoned by industry, could rise to power once more.
The USGS identified several lithium-rich districts across the Appalachian corridor using geological mapping, geochemical sampling, and geophysical surveys. They span from Maine to as far south as Delaware, formed over 250 million years ago to serve a new generation of American industry.
This project will take time, which is why it’s important to act now. Global lithium demand is projected to double by 2029. If we wait, we cede the competition, and risk indebting ourselves as critical minerals skyrocket in value.
While it would be a boon for the American economy, refining our own lithium supply also ensures clean standards compared to our foreign adversaries in China and central Africa. Plus, America can provide cleaner extraction and safer working conditions than outsourcing production abroad. Critical minerals are just that— critical— and ignoring them doesn’t solve the environmental impact. It only hands off the responsibility to countries with no care for the Earth.
Now is the time to invest in our own resources, so that our country can continue to lead the global economy of the future. This is an America First opportunity in its purest form.
“The United States was the dominant world producer of lithium three decades ago, and this research highlights the abundant potential to reclaim our mineral independence.”
— USGS Director Ned Mamula