Watch: Lithium Supply Chains – Charging Our Future with Sustainable Sources

Lithium Supply Chains:
Charging Our Future with Sustainable Sources

The degree to which the U.S. lithium battery supply chain relies on foreign imports poses a threat to U.S. national and economic security. California’s efforts to support lithium extraction from geothermal facilities and attract other steps of this supply chain is one piece of a broader national effort to “onshore” lithium battery manufacturing. If California can successfully build “Lithium Valley,” there will be an opportunity to ensure that this new supply chain is environmentally sustainable and produces real economic opportunities for marginalized communities.

In this expert briefing, the panel discusses the current structure of the global supply chain and its vulnerabilities, what it would take to bring the lithium supply chain to the US and California more specifically, and what steps could be taken to ensure that this new supply chain is environmentally sustainable and produces real economic opportunities for marginalized communities.

Moderator:

Melissa Howlett
Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz)
Regional Business Development Specialist for the Inland Empire & Southern Borders

Panelists:

Dr. Chris Benner
UC Santa Cruz
Professor; Director, Institute for Social Transformation

Dr. Alissa Kendall
UC Davis
Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

John McMillan, MBA
San Diego State University
Assistant Vice President of Economic Development

Dr. Venkat Srinivasan
Argonne National Lab
Director, Argonne Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science (ACCESS)

ABOUT CCST
The California Council on Science and Technology is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established via the California State Legislature in 1988. CCST responds to the Governor, the Legislature, and other State entities who request independent assessment of public policy issues affecting the State of California relating to science and technology. CCST engages leading experts in science and technology to advise state policymakers—ensuring that California policy is strengthened and informed by scientific knowledge, research, and innovation.