Battery Council International (BCI) has welcomed the U.S. Geological Survey’s proposal to designate lead as a critical mineral, citing its essential role in battery manufacturing and the need to protect domestic supply chains.
In the proposal, lead, potash, silicon, copper, silver and rhenium were recommended for inclusion and arsenic and tellurium were recommended for removal.
“Lead batteries play a critical role in the United States economy by starting cars and trucks, power forklifts, providing critical telecom backups, and supporting our power grid,” said BCI’s president and executive director Roger Miksad. “Meeting consumers’ needs requires manufacturers to have reliable access to raw materials, and in particular lead metal, which has been under growing pressure for more than 20 years, with domestic metal demand outstripping supply.”
The said that the designation will help ensure the battery industry has the raw materials it needs to keep America running.”
The US lead battery industry supports over 106,000 jobs across manufacturing, recycling, logistics and distribution. Downstream, batteries contribute to $10 trillion in economic output and underpin more than 54 million jobs.
BCI has long advocated for this designation, warning in a 2021 letter that “the US lead industry’s strong domestic supply chain is under significant threat of becoming increasingly dependent on foreign imports.” That imbalance has worsened due to rising battery demand and global trade pressures.
“We applaud USGS, the U.S. Department of the Interior, and our partners in the Trump Administration for prioritising this important issue and protecting US supply chains,” said Miksad.
Public comments on the proposal are open until 25 September. BCI encourages members to submit feedback via info@batterycouncil.org.
