About the Critical Minerals Factbook

The Critical Minerals Factbook is a project of Daniel Simmons, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy.

Who runs this site

From 2018 to 2021, Daniel led the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy as its Senate-confirmed Assistant Secretary. That office has since been renamed the Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation, and its programs, from critical-materials research at the national labs to funding opportunities in this site's ledger, are among the programs tracked here.

Why this site exists

When I was a federal official, one of the things that surprised me was how much bipartisan agreement there is about the need for better critical mineral security in the United States. Republicans really support it. Democrats really support it. Where they don't necessarily agree is on how to get there.

The point of this website is to demystify, clarify, and catalog everything going on: where the deposits are and who mines them; who separates, refines, and manufactures; what the federal government is funding; which opportunities are open right now; and how policy and trade actions are reshaping supply. The goal is to help people better understand this complex and important topic. Every fact is dated and linked to its source; the methodology page explains how that verification works.

Get in touch

Daniel advises energy companies, trade associations, universities, and investors on federal affairs and funding strategy through Simmons Energy & Environmental Strategies.

For questions, corrections, or suggestions about the Factbook, email daniel@simmonsees.com. Corrections are welcome: if a dated fact on this site is wrong, the sourced record gets fixed and the change is logged in the change log.