China dominates the world’s lithium supply. The U.S. just found 328 years’ worth in its own backyard

Lithium is everywhere: It’s in the battery powering the device on which you’re reading this article. It powers electric vehicles (EVs). It’s in your headphones, your power tools, and your TV remote. In short, lithium powers modern life.

The ubiquity of the element is why the United States Geological Survey (USGS) deemed it a critical mineral in November. While the U.S. remains highly reliant on imports of lithium, a new report from the USGS found an estimated 2.3 million metric tons of the lithium oxide in Appalachia, enough to replace 328 years’ worth of U.S. imports at last year’s level.

“This research shows that the Appalachians contain enough lithium to help meet the nation’s growing needs,” USGS director Ned Mamula said in a statement, “a major contribution to U.S. mineral security, at a time when global lithium demand is rising rapidly.”

The discovery comes as the demand for lithium continues to snowball as manufacturers ditch conventional lead-acid or alkaline for lithium-ion batteries. The USGS expects global lithium production capacity to double by 2029 on increasing demand. While the U.S. imports the majority of its lithium carbonate—the compound critical to lithium-ion battery production—primarily from Chile and Argentina, China dominates the supply of finished lithium-ion batteries, powering everything from EVs ...