Washington, DC — Today, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released the following statement on the announcement from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Program Office (LPO) affirming that critical minerals mining and extraction projects are eligible for the Department’s Title XVII Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program. Chairman Manchin’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law added eligibility for these and other projects that increase the domestically produced supply of critical minerals to receive support from LPO. Chairman Manchin’s Inflation Reduction Act built on that progress with additional funding for LPO projects.

“This country will never be fully energy secure unless we are able to domestically source and extract the critical minerals needed to develop the advanced energy technologies of the future. We have the minerals right under our feet, and today’s clarification of LPO’s policy will help to ensure that companies are able to invest in American energy production and build a domestic critical minerals supply chain. I am proud to have worked to expand eligibility for LPO support in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will continue to ensure that we are investing in an all-of-the-above energy portfolio,” said Chairman Manchin.