New Briefing:

Obstructive Industries Weaponizing Critical Minerals Fears to Delay Environmental Policy

• Fossil fuel companies, automakers, and key industry associations weaponized narratives about critical minerals to successfully push back against vehicle emissions standards in the United States.
• Over 90% of 2023–24 regulatory comments on three key consultations for vehicle emissions standards referenced “critical minerals.”
• The US Chamber of Commerce, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, and the American Petroleum Institute opposed all three key emissions standards, with “critical minerals” cited in 100% of their submissions.

A new analysis of industry lobbying on three major US vehicle emissions standards finds that fossil fuel companies, automakers, and key industry associations have weaponized concerns about critical mineral supply chains to oppose vehicle emissions policy and delay the transition to electric vehicles. This trend reflects an evolution of the fossil fuel narrative playbook, previously documented by InfluenceMap, now extended to target the material inputs of the energy transition.

This research analyzed responses to public consultations on three key vehicle emissions standards in the US between 2023 and 2024: the Corporate Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards, the GHG Emissions Standards for Light- and Medium-Duty Vehicles, and the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. All three standards have since been weakened, and all GHG standards have been repealed. For each one, policymaker language in the final emissions standards reflected lobbying pressure, with repeated references to critical-mineral supply-chain concerns.

The analysis finds that references to critical minerals are becoming a core part of industry narratives, particularly among negative actors. Over 90% of 2023–24 regulatory comments from actors in the LobbyMap database referenced “critical minerals,” while 95% of negative advocacy from industry associations cited “critical minerals” in their opposition to the standards.

Actors raising critical mineral supply chain concerns to push back on emissions regulation leveraged current political narratives to legitimize their opposition, such as arguing that over reliance on foreign countries for minerals used in EVs threatens national security and affordability. This includes oil and gas and automotive associations, including the American Petroleum Institute (API), American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.

Notably, oil and gas actors also emphasized the climatic, social, and environmental impacts of EV value chains while failing to acknowledge the consequences of the fossil-fuel value chain for ICE vehicles. Comparing recent arguments to past lobbying by these actors, it is clear that these are simply long-standing pro-fossil fuel talking points adapted to the new political landscape, advocating for the same outcomes the sector has pushed for the last decade: the delay and weakening of climate policy.

In contrast,Tesla and the Zero Emissions Transport Association were the only positively engaged actors to reference critical minerals. Both constructively referenced critical mineral supply chains, arguing that while supply challenges exist, they do not justify weakening ambition. However, the volume and consistency of oppositional messaging outweighed this engagement.

Of the 27 companies and industry associations identified as using these narratives in their responses, the top 5 users were industry associations strategically engaged in oppositional climate advocacy activities. This includes the AFPM and the API (energy associations), the Renewable Fuels Association and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation (automotive associations), and the US Chamber of Commerce (a cross-sector association). AFPM and API used fossil fuel sub-narratives in their advocacy significantly more than any other actors, each employing them at least 22 times across the three policy comment periods.

Click here to read the full report

For further information or to arrange interviews, please contact:

Kitty Hatchley, Media Manager, InfluenceMap (London)

Email: kitty.hatchley {@} influencemap.org