Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Building a Domestic Lithium Industry

Arkansas's Lithium Ambitions

• 🚀 Arkansas is actively building an upstream and midstream lithium industry to support the nation's battery and energy storage supply chain.
• 💡 The state aims to be the premier investment destination for lithium extraction and processing, leveraging its resources, technology, capital, and policy.

Key Resources and Investments

• 💎 The Smackover Formation in South Arkansas holds an estimated 5 to 19 million tons of lithium, with high grades.
• 💰 Major companies like Standard Lithium, Ecuinor, ExxonMobil, and Chevron are making significant investments, targeting substantial production of battery-grade lithium carbonate and materials for EVs.
• 📈 The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) and various partners are facilitating this growth, with hundreds of millions in private and public capital flowing into the state.

Supportive State Policies and Initiatives

• ✅ Arkansas has implemented regulatory certainty and tax exemptions, including Act 1012, which offers sales and use tax exemptions across the lithium value chain and modernizes severance taxes.
• 🛠️ The state government has streamlined permitting processes, reducing them from 18 months to six, and is ensuring a steady supply of affordable electricity.
• 🎓 Workforce development is a priority, with initiatives like "Lithium Learns" and "Lithium Works" at Southern Arkansas University creating talent pipelines from K-12 through higher education.

Strategic Focus and National Security

• 🎯 Arkansas is focusing on upstream and midstream sectors where it has natural advantages, including expertise in oil and gas extraction, chemical processing, and logistics.
• ⚠️ The state aims to reduce reliance on foreign sources, particularly China, which controls a significant portion of the global lithium chemical supply, thereby enhancing national security.
• 🤝 The Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator fosters innovation by connecting lithium producers with technology companies.

Workforce Success Stories

• 💡 The story of Angela Meadows highlights the transformative impact of workforce programs, where she doubled her income after completing a skills course and becoming a chemical operator for Standard Lithium.
• 🌟 The goal is to make such success stories the norm, contributing to the economic prosperity of South Arkansas and the state as a whole.