Lankford seeks solutions to reduce US dependence on foreign supply chains

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine ways to enhance US research and development in innovative transportation technologies that reduce our reliance on foreign supply chains and increase US manufacturing. Lankford’s questions on mineral availability and battery recycling were discussed with Mr. Edmund Adam Muellerweiss, the Chief Sustainability Officer at Clarios and Ms. Kelly Speakes-Backman, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary & Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy.

Lankford remains engaged in ways we can enhance US supplychain options and ensure we are not dependent on foreign countries for our critical infrastructure needs, including energy, minerals, and other manufacturing staples. In January Lankford joined his colleagues to introduce the Protecting our Wealth of Energy Resources (POWER) Act, which would prohibit the Biden Administration from blocking energy or mineral leasing and permitting on federal lands and waters without congressional approval. In July Lankford questioned Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials on our dependence on imports from China after they prevented companies from shipping Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at the height of the pandemic, which resulted in frontline medical workers not having the equipment they needed to treat American with coronavirus.

Excerpt

Lankford: Mr. Muellerweiss, let me ask about the battery recycling that’s come up several times, and obviously the challenge that we have with so many of these minerals coming from conflict areas and child labor and from multiple areas where we have nations like China and Cuba that seem to dominate the market in certain different minerals, so the battery recycling becomes a big issue for us. My understanding is we’re around five percent at this point for some of these batteries—not dealing with existing car batteries now where we’re at near 100 percent of recycling but for some of the lithium ion and some of those.

Where are we on recycling, and what can we do better for that?

Muellerweiss: First and foremost, Senator, no child should ever be harmed with materials that are used in batteries. Full stop. That’s why it’s so important to understand the full life cycle of these materials, so as I mentioned in my testimony from mining to manufacturing to end of life and recycling. As you noted, a very small percentage of lithium ion chemistries are currently being recycled today. There’s a significant amount of diversity. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all when you say ‘lithium ion.’ That can be a variety of different configurations and chemistries, creating a little bit more additional complexity for recovery and recycling. But one of the key things that is evident and why we are excited to be a participant in the DOE’s lithium ion recycling prize is there’s an opportunity to collect those used batteries, which have some of those rare earth and critical minerals and ensure that they can be recovered in a cost-effective and responsible way right here in the United States to be able to turn those materials back into batteries.

Lankford: So why aren’t we getting more of those rare earths and critical minerals from here in the United States? We do have things like lithium here. North Carolina has that, but what’s been the challenge that we’ve had of actually doing more of that production here? Cobalt, we’re still very very dependent on the Congo and a tremendous amount of child labor that’s happening, to be able to do that mining there. So what can we do to develop more of that here in the United States?

Speakes-Backman: Secretary Granholm has spoken to this very committee and has made a commitment to really look and work with you all on how we can better source safely and responsibly the critical materials that are here, but in addition to that, she also has supported a three-pronged approach really of, number 1 being able to lessen the need for these critical materials by diversifying our supply, getting away from some of these areas that are just not acceptable to be taking these critical materials. Secondly is being more sustainable in the way that we do that work and third is really reuse and recycling…

ATLANTA (AP) — Storms dumped as much as 6 inches of rain on Mississippi and Alabama on Tuesday ahead of threatening weather that forecasters said could include tornadoes across a large part of the South from Texas to Georgia.

With isolated flooding already being reported in western Alabama, the Storm Prediction Center said hail as large as tennis balls and intense twisters were possible across the region Wednesday. More than 6 million people live in an area stretching from eastern Arkansas to eastern Alabama that forecasters said was most at risk.

More than a dozen Alabama school systems canceled classes, planned online sessions or announced early dismissals because of the threat. More could be added to the list. Storms likely will intensify in waves during the afternoon, forecasters said, and the worst wasn’t expected until overnight.

“This is going to be a long-haul type of event,” said Gary Goggins in the National Weather Service office for central Alabama.

Forecasters issued tornado warnings in southwest Alabama as storms moved through early Tuesday, but no damage was reported immediately. Schools in Cullman County, north of Birmingham, delayed opening because of downpours. Rainfall was particularly intense around the Mississippi-Alabama state line, where as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) fell.

“’We did get a strong band of pretty heavy precipitation,” said Ashlyn Jackson, a forecaster with the weather service in Jackson, Mississippi.

“We’ve been getting hit pretty hard.”

On Wednesday, strong twisters that stay on the ground for an extended period are possible in a region that includes large parts of Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama as well as parts of Louisiana and Tennessee, forecasters said. Residents need to pay attention to alerts in cities including Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Jackson forecasters said.

Large, outdoor sites for administrering COVID-19 vaccinations around Birmingham and Memphis canceled appointments because of the threat of severe weather. With people getting shots in their cars, officials were concerned that strong winds, rain, hail and the threat of tornadoes could make the operations unsafe.

SAN DIEGO (AP) — A driver plowed through a sidewalk homeless encampment Monday in downtown San Diego, killing three people and injuring six others, authorities said.

Craig Voss, 71, was heading through a tunnel underneath a community college campus when he drove his Volvo station wagon up on the sidewalk shortly after 9 a.m., San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit.

Voss was arrested at the scene. He faces three counts of vehicular manslaughter, five counts of causing great bodily harm and a felony DUI, Nisleit said, adding that Voss did a field sobriety test by a drug recognition expert. He did not elaborate or identify whether Voss was under the influence of alcohol or other substance. He said additional charges may be coming.

It wasn’t immediately known if Voss had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

The deadly crash highlights the inherent risks to the homeless population in California, where their tents and tarps line not only downtown sidewalks but are near ramps where cars accelerate as they enter freeways.

More than 150,000 people are homeless statewide. The number has increased during the coronavirus pandemic that has upended the economy.

Mayor

Todd

Gloria

said most, if not all of the nine people who were struck were homeless.

“They were there because they felt like they had nowhere else to go,” Gloria said. “This crash this morning did not have to be so devastating. Let me state it very clearly, a street is not a home.”

Three people died at the scene. Five of the six others who were injured were taken to hospitals. Two were in critical condition. San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell said both were “awake, alert and answering questions.”

The mayor, who took office in December, said the encampment had been there awhile. More people Monday might have gone to the short tunnel under the San Diego City College campus because the cement bridge provided cover on a rainy day.

On a typical weekday morning it is a busy area with students walking by, but classes have been online during the coronavirus pandemic.

Gloria said the city needs to act now to address its homeless problem, and it was starting by offering shelter Monday to the other homeless people who were in the tunnel and escaped injury. A handful accepted. The city also sent mental health professionals to help.

“We want to make sure that they did not die in vain,” Gloria said of those who were killed.

But he added that the city is facing a shortage of beds at its shelters and he pledged to talk to state and federal officials to get more help, calling the current situation “not acceptable.”

“It’s not humane or safe to keep allowing our unsheltered neighbors to sleep under bridges, in alleys or in canyons,” he said.

Lisa Brotzman said she was peering out of a window in her tent just as the car swerved to the right shoulder, “spun out of control” and jumped onto the sidewalk in the tunnel where people were waiting out the rain.

“Someone was screaming, ‘Ahhh! Ahhhh!’” Brotzman told The San Diego UnionTribune.

“Two or three people were yelling and screaming. It was scary.”

The driver got out of his car and tried to help people before identifying himself to police, Nisleit said.

“He was cooperative, (and) did not try to run away,” the chief said, correcting earlier reports from police that he had tried to flee.

Ambulances, five fire engines, a helicopter and more than 60 firstresponders responded to the scene.

“Our crews found, obviously, a tragic incident under the bridge,” the fire chief said.

Today is Wednesday, March 17, the 76th day of 2021. There are 289 days left in the year. This is St. Patrick’s Day.

Today’s Highlight in History:

On March 17, 1762, New York held its first St. Patrick’s Day parade.

On this date:

In 1776, the Revolutionary War Siege of Boston ended as British forces evacuated the city.

In 1936, Pittsburgh’s Great St. Patrick’s Day Flood began as the Monongahela and Allegheny rivers and their tributaries, swollen by rain and melted snow, started exceeding flood stage; the high water was blamed for more than 60 deaths.

In 1941, the National Gallery of Art opened in Washington, D.C.

In 1959, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India in the wake of a failed uprising by Tibetans against Chinese rule.

In 1966, a U.S. Navy midget submarine located a missing hydrogen bomb that had fallen from a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber into the Mediterranean off Spain. (It took several more weeks to actually recover the bomb.)

In 1969, Golda Meir became prime minister of Israel.

In 1970, the United States cast its first veto in the U.N. Security Council, killing a resolution that would have condemned Britain for failing to use force to overthrow the white-ruled government of Rhodesia.

In 1988, Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing 727, crashed after takeoff into a mountain in Colombia, killing all 143 people on board.

In 1992, 29 people were killed in the truck bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In Illinois, Sen. Alan Dixon was defeated in his primary reelection bid by Carol Moseley-Braun, who went on to become the first Black woman in the U.S. Senate.

In 2003, edging to the brink of war, President George W. Bush gave Saddam Hussein 48 hours to leave his country. Iraq rejected Bush’s ultimatum, saying that a U.S. attack to force Saddam from power would be “a grave mistake.”

In 2009, U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were detained by North Korea while reporting on North Korean refugees living across the border in China. (Both were convicted of entering North Korea illegally and were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor; both were freed in August 2009 after former President Bill Clinton met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.) The Seattle Post-Intelligencer published its final print edition.

In 2010, Michael Jordan became the first ex-player to become a majority owner in the NBA as the league’s Board of Governors unanimously approved Jordan’s $275 million bid to buy the Charlotte Bobcats from Bob Johnson.

Ten years ago: The U.N. Security Council paved the way for international air strikes against Moammar Gadhafi’s forces, voting to authorize military action to protect civilians and impose a no-fly zone over Libya. U.S. drone missiles hit a village in Pakistan; U.S. officials said the group targeted was heavily armed and that some of its members were connected to al-Qaida, but Pakistani officials said the missiles hit a community meeting, killing four Taliban fighters and 38 civilians and tribal police. Country music entertainer Ferlin Husky, 85, died in Westmoreland, Tennessee.

Five years ago: The Obama administration formally concluded the Islamic State group was committing genocide against Christians and other minorities in Iraq and Syria. An Arizona man was convicted of a terror charge tied to an attack on a Prophet Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas, marking the second conviction in the U.S. related to the Islamic State group; Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem, an American-born Muslim convert, was later sentenced to 30 years in prison. Finally bowing to years of public pressure, SeaWorld Entertainment said it would no longer breed killer whales or make them perform crowdpleasing tricks.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — There has never been a better time to have senior leadership in the NCAA Tournament than this season. There was no real offseason for young players to improve. No exhibitions and fewer non-conference games for teams to come together. And the shadow cast by COVID-19 that threatened to derail a season with a single positive test.

So while experienced teams always have an edge during March Madness, those with seniors running the show may be at an even bigger advantage this year. Iowa star Luka Garza and Gonzaga counterpart Corey Kispert already are household names worth watching, but there are plenty of other seniors that should threaten to steal the spotlight.

THE TRANSFERS Fan of heavyweight wrestling? Tune into a first-round game between Garza’s second-seeded Hawkeyes and No. 15 seed Grand Canyon. That’s where you’ll find the 6-foot-11, 265-pound All-American banging bodies with fellow senior Asbjorn Midtgaard, the 7-foot, 270-pound Wichita State transfer and leading scorer for the Antelopes. Virginia intends to play after withdrawing from the ACC Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols, which means fans will get to say Sam Hauser running the show. The transfer from Marquette averages 16 points and 6.7 rebounds. Alex Barcello has become such a star at BYU the past two seasons that some forget he began his career at Arizona. THE ONE-TWO PUNCH

The senior leadership of Austin Reaves and Brady Manek helped Oklahoma climb into the top 10 earlier this season, though a rough finish left the eighth-seeded Sooners with a first-round date against No. 9 seed Missouri. Speaking of the Tigers, they’re also led by a pair of seniors. Dru Smith is their leading scorer and Jeremiah Tilmon finally reached his potential this season, and both aim to help Missouri snap a fourgame NCAA Tournament skid.

Squirreled away in a smaller conference on the West Coast, UC Santa Barbara seniors JaQuori McLaughlin and Devearl Ramsey went largely unnoticed. But the No. 12 seed Gauchos should give No. 5 Creighton all it can handle.

THE OVERLOOKED

Garza gets the headlines in Iowa City but fifth-year senior Jordan Bohannon is a big reason why the Hawkeyes are a Final Four contender. The consummate floor general averages 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists. “I don’t know who would underappreciate it. He’s going to be the school’s alltime leader in assists. I don’t know what more you have to do to get appreciated,” Iowa coach Fran McCaffery said. “I appreciate it, I can tell you that.”

Baylor guard MaCio Teague isn’t just overlooked around the country, he’s often overlooked on his own team. That’s what happens when you share a backcourt with Jared Butler and Davion Mitchell, despite scoring 16.2 points a game.

Herb Jones is an AllAmerican candidate and Jaden Shackelford is Alabama’s leading scorer, but John Petty Jr. makes the SEC Tournament champs go. He shoots 44% from beyond the arc and is the school’s career leader in 3-pointers.

“You know what’s amazing? Just to see our school do both things in basketball and football just tells about the school itself, the way they recruit, the people we have around our school. It’s amazing,” Petty said. “It’s kind of, like I say, indescribable just because all these things haven’t been done in so long.”

THE MID-MAJORS The beauty of the NCAA Tournament is the out-of-nowhere teams and players that set brackets ablaze, and often they’re veterans that have been through the grind. That’s the case with Javion Hamlet, who has No. 13 seed North Texas ready for home-state hope Purdue, and Isaiah Miller, who will lead No. 13 seed UNC Greensboro against Florida State.

One of the trendy upset picks is No. 14 seed Colgate over Arkansas. Both teams get up and down the floor at a breakneck pace, but if the Raiders want to hang around into the second half, they’ll need Jordan Burns to light it up. One of the nation’s prolific shooters averages 17.0 points while shooting 44.4% from the arc. “We’ve got to contain Burns,” Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman said. “They’re an analytics team. They make 3s. They make layups. So, we look forward to the prep over the next few days.”

THE INJURED At least two veterans will have to provide some leadership from the bench: Michigan star Isaiah Livers is out indefinitely after an MRI taken following a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal win over Maryland revealed a stress fracture in his right foot, and Villanova’s Collin Gillespie tore a knee ligament earlier this month to end his season early.

Then there’s Tennessee forward John Fulkerson, who sustained facial fractures in an SEC Tournament win over Florida and underwent surgery Sunday. Fulkerson has not been ruled out, though — his status will be determined later this week.

“I’ve said it before. It’s never going to be about John Fulkerson,” Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said. “He wants his teammates to win and wants to be a part of it, and nobody is pulling more for him to do that than his teammates.”