Congress had a nice long break for the holidays and now it's back to business. Top of mind for many is permitting reform, with negotiations taking place in the midst of the potential for another government shutdown on Jan. 30.

While US support of Mining projects here at home tends to increase interest and support for those projects, Canadians reportedly don't want U.S. involvement in their mining projects. A story today looks at a proposed graphite mine in Canada which is facing increased opposition due, in part, to the Department of War's support of the project. As one project opponent said, "Suddenly, the main big investor is the American army, who need a lot of graphite. People (now) want that even less."

Finally, a surge in data center build out and battery storage needs has also boosted the demand outlook for lithium this year. The lithium market struggled with oversupply for the last several years, but this year is expected to mark a turnaround as China's power sector helped to fuel stronger than expected demand for lithium in the second half of 2025.