The legislation to make eligible all critical minerals under the 45X tax credits would strengthen domestic supply chains, reduce dependence on foreign adversaries, and power America’s manufacturing future.
Battery Council International (BCI) applauds Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) for introducing legislation to update the Section 45X Advanced Manufacturing Production Credits to include lead and all other USGS-designated critical minerals. This bold and forward-looking measure would ensure that the full breadth of minerals essential to American battery manufacturing, energy infrastructure, and national security receive the same tax incentive treatment already afforded to battery components under the landmark One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Rep. Moore’s Ways and Means Committee colleagues, Representatives Vern Buchanan (R-FL), Mike Carey (R-OH), Max Miller (R-OH), and Aaron Bean (R-FL) cosponsored this legislation.
Power demand in the United States is rising for the first time in nearly two decades, and critical minerals will play a vital role in building America’s energy storage and manufacturing capacity. Today, however, the United States depends heavily on critical minerals extracted and processed in foreign countries, a vulnerability that threatens both our economic strength and our national security. Representative Moore’s legislation takes aim at that vulnerability by aligning federal tax policy with materials that America needs to meet growing demands.
Section 45X has already proven its value. Since its enactment, the credit has catalyzed billions of dollars in domestic investment and helped create thousands of good-paying manufacturing jobs across the country. Updating 45X eligibility to all critical minerals would extend these proven benefits to the mining and refining sectors that supply the raw materials on which battery manufacturers depend.
BCI has long championed the inclusion of critical minerals in federal manufacturing incentives. When lead was designated a critical mineral by the U.S. Geological Survey, BCI recognized it as an important step in building the resilient supply chains that American battery manufacturers require. Representative Moore’s legislation takes the next logical step, broadening that policy framework to encompass the full suite of critical minerals and connecting resource extraction to the 45X tax credit structure.
“Representative Moore’s legislation reflects a clear-eyed understanding of what American manufacturing truly needs to compete and win,” said Roger Miksad, President and Executive Director of BCI. “We cannot build world-class batteries without world-class access to the minerals that go into them. By updating 45X to cover all critical minerals, Congress can send a powerful signal that America is committed to owning every link of its supply chains.”
The U.S. lead battery industry alone directly supports more than 106,000 jobs and generates more than $35 billion in annual business output. The battery industry operates a uniquely powerful circular economy in which 99 percent of used lead batteries are recycled and returned to production.
BCI and its 140+ member companies stand ready to work with Representative Moore and the full Congress to advance this legislation and build upon the progress made in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. With manufacturing expertise more than 125 years in the making, the American battery industry is prepared to lead, but it needs federal policy that matches the scale of the challenge.
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For more information, contact media@batterycouncil.org.
