WASHINGTON – Roughly 70% of copper produced in the U.S. comes from Arizona. Electric vehicles, solar panels and power cables can’t be produced without it, and for the first time last year, the U.S. government added copper to a list of critical materials.
But that designation in July 2023 only applied to a list kept by the Department of Energy. The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a separate list of critical minerals that comes with tax breaks and speedier permitting. So far, copper hasn’t made the cut. That may soon change under a measure promoted by Arizona lawmakers that sailed through the House recently.
“The green energy revolution is going to require vast quantities of copper, and so not having it be eligible for that particular tax credit doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Misael Cabrera, director of the School of Mining & Mineral Resources at the University of Arizona.
For the rest of this article: https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2024/12/12/arizona-export-copper-critical-mineral-green-energy-tax-breaks/