1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the Pentagon's massive stockpiling of critical minerals and instead redirect these resources toward our nation's clean energy transition. The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act allocated $7.5 billion to expand military reserves of cobalt, lithium, and graphite, locking away materials desperately needed for civilian energy infrastructure. According to the Transition Security Project, the Pentagon's planned stockpiles of 7,500 metric tons of cobalt and 50,000 metric tons of graphite could electrify 102,896 buses, far exceeding the approximately 6,000 electric buses currently operating nationwide. Alternatively, these same materials could produce 80.2 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity, more than twice our country's current energy storage capacity. These figures represent a stark choice between military hoarding and meaningful climate action. The rationale for this stockpiling is deeply flawed. A 2021 Department of Defense report acknowledged that if rare earth supply chains are disrupted, the civilian economy would bear the brunt of harm. Yet we are prioritizing military applications that destroy these minerals through use. As University of Wisconsin geographer Julie Klinger notes, critical minerals can be recycled when used in batteries but are lost forever when made into weapons and bombs. We are literally digging materials out of the ground in one place to blow them up in another. The U.S. military already accounts for 80 percent of federal government greenhouse gas emissions, making it the single largest institutional emitter globally. Expanding its mineral consumption while blocking civilian access undermines both our energy security and climate goals. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that redirects critical mineral procurement toward clean energy infrastructure, establishes civilian priority for these materials, and requires the Pentagon to justify stockpiling decisions against civilian needs. Our energy future depends on making the right choice now.