Mining companies have for years asked the government for incentives to increase the domestic supply of minerals. “We are simply the brawn.” Mining for money Russ Fulcher, who represents the cobalt-rich state of Idaho. Wischer was previously a staffer for Republican Rep. In describing Westwin Elements, the company’s vice president of government affairs, Greg Wischer, said in an interview that it exists “on the capital side and the political side.” “That political clout has certainly helped us advance our objectives within Congress and the federal government.” “That’s true, and if something’s true, I don’t have an interest in it being concealed,” she said. In an interview, Long acknowledged that her company’s political ties are helping it win influence. Dave Brat (R-Va.) on Capitol Hill in 2015. Brat lost his seat in 2018 to Democrat Abigail Spanberger.
Dave Brat (R-Va.), who won a seat in Congress in 2014 by toppling then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary. One of Westwin Elements’ top executives is former Rep. Westwin Elements says it will operate the plant, while CVMR holds stock in the company. CVMR struck a deal to give Westwin Elements “exclusive” rights to its specialized cobalt refining technology. The Westwin Elements plant - the location of which has yet to be made public - will be built by CVMR, a Canadian company. A former Interior Department official is lobbying for a lithium mine in Nevada. A former House Democrat is lobbying for a cobalt company. As the country’s appetite for renewable energy grows, players across the political spectrum are looking to cash in.Īnd it’s not just Republicans getting in on the act. In that way, the company offers a glimpse into how the race for EV materials has become a Washington game. Westwin Elements’ management has little experience in mining or metals refining and is primarily made up of Republican political operators. No cobalt refineries exist in the United States. Westwin claims it will soon begin building the nation’s first cobalt refinery, offering automakers an option for locally processed metals to make electric vehicle batteries.Ĭobalt is primarily mined in Congo and is mostly refined in China. company that lawmakers believe is on the cusp of building a cobalt processing plant: Westwin Elements, started this year by KaLeigh Long, a well-connected Republican political consultant who once ran the Conservative Leadership PAC and helmed a political consulting firm that has garnered nearly $1 million from Republican campaigns in recent years. The letters singled out, in footnotes, one U.S.
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