As discussed earlier this month here, President Biden issued Executive Order 14017 (“EO 14017”) establishing a wide-ranging evaluation of America’s supply chains that will take place over the next twelve months. This post provides updates with respect to two of the 100-day supply-chain specific reviews.
As previously reported, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (“BIS”) published a federal register notice establishing a formal notice and comment period for industry participants to provide information on semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging supply chains. BIS has also now announced that it will conduct a virtual forum that will allow industry participants to provide their views orally. The forum will take place on Thursday, April 8, 2021 from 2:00 pm EST to 5:00 pm EST, but interested parties must submit a request to appear at the forum by Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 5:00 pm EST. The virtual forum is in addition to (not a substitution) for public comments.
The Department of Energy’s (“DOE”) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy has also now published a federal register notice requesting information from industry participants on the high-capacity batteries (including electrical vehicle batteries) supply chain. Critical materials identified by the DOE include battery grade nickel, cobalt, and lithium. Industry participants throughout the supply chain should consider expressing their views to the DOE but the agency’s notice specifically calls out extraction of raw materials, refining, separators, collectors and recyclers, among other supply-chain participants. Responses to the agency’s request for information are due on April 14, 2021.