As supply chains worldwide feel more strain because of the holiday season, Congress focused on the United States’ green technology supply chain. The defense budget that just went through included funding for infrastructure to recycle EV batteries. It would require the U.S. fleet of electric vehicles to have their batteries recycled at the end of life. This legislation also calls for the U.S. Department of Defense to offer grants and contracts for innovations and technologies that improve batteries to be used by the U.S. military. This legislation is important because the U.S. military emits more carbon dioxide than countries the size of Portugal or Denmark and takes up 80% of the federal government’s fossil fuel consumption.
Investing in the United States’ battery supply chain is a good step to transition the U.S. military off of fossil fuels and end our reliance on China for electric vehicle parts, but if we want strong supply chains for rare minerals used in other green technology, we need to improve our electronic recycling efforts. Making more technologies a part of a circular economy through repair, reuse, and recycling can lessen our environmental impact. Repairing alone can reduce the environmental impact of electronics by 92%. Most states have electronic recycling laws, but if we want to get serious about green technology and reducing our reliance on new materials we also need to invest in electronic recycling infrastructure in the U.S.
State government fleets operate thousands of vehicles, and agencies can use their purchasing power to invest in more electric vehicles. Ask your Governor to lead by example by directing state agencies to purchase electric vehicles.
Energy Conservation & Efficiency
