Let’s move beyond rare earth headlines—it’s time to build real scale

Core Insights - America's global competitiveness is at a critical juncture, with supply chains and critical minerals becoming increasingly important for driving innovation and economic growth [1] - The real challenge lies in building lasting capacity rather than just securing funding and task forces [1] Group 1: Industry Actions - General Motors has partnered with MP Materials to rebuild the domestic mine-to-magnet supply chain for rare earths and invested in Lithium Americas' Nevada project, demonstrating a commitment to domestic production [2] - Collaboration with GlobalFoundries aims to produce semiconductors domestically, addressing supply chain vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic [2] Group 2: Scaling Challenges - Launching projects is only the beginning; scaling them presents real challenges such as financing, permitting, and infrastructure development [3] - There is a need for coherent policies that support American factories and workers to effectively scale up operations [3] Group 3: Strategic Steps - Commitment to bankable volume is essential, with solid, multi-year purchase agreements needed to support domestic content at an industrial scale [4] - Streamlining processes is crucial for accelerating project completion, requiring smart policies that shorten permitting timelines and foster collaboration [5] - Building a complete supply chain is vital, ensuring that components are processed through a domestic loop to enhance resilience, quality, and job creation [6]