Renewable Energy Resources:
Nevada Holds the Key
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
NSF Hybrid Event
In-Person at our NEW VENUE!
Tamarack Casino
13101 S. Virginia St, Reno, NV
(Park and enter using Banquet Hall door on the north side of the building)
Breakfast served 8:00-9:00, Forum 9:00-10:15am
Virtual on Zoom
Forum 9:00-10:15am PST
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pNHLuyx0TEGfDXiNRvVIMQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
EXPERT PANEL:
Caleb Cage (Moderator)
Executive Director, Nevada Battery Coalition
Fortunato Villamagna, PhD
President, Comstock Metals
Tim Crowley
Vice President, Government & External Affairs, Lithium Americas
Tyson K. Falk
Manager, Government & Public Affairs, ioneer, Ltd.
Welcome back to an exciting year of NSF events and expeditions! We have a lot in store to help you keep up with the rapidly changing national and global security situations in 2024. We will do our best to keep you informed about issues beyond the headlines and from multiple perspectives. Stay up to date on NSF programs by subscribing to our mailing list at: NSF Mailing List or better yet become a member at: Become a Member.
NSF is happy to be in our new venue, Tamarack Casino in South Reno. They have a newly renovated banquet hall with a separate entrance and excellent parking on the north side of the building. When you turn into the parking lot turn right and follow the signs for the “Banquet Room.” Park anywhere on the northside of the building and enter via the walkway into the reception hall for the banquet room. We will see you there!!! You can always email Kimberly at: [email protected] or me at: [email protected] if you have questions or need more information about the location.
And now for the details about our breakfast forum on 20th March…
“Increased supply of lithium is paramount for the energy transition, as the future of transportation and energy storage relies on lithium-ion batteries. Lithium demand has tripled since 2017, and could grow tenfold by 2050…” (Lithium in the Energy Transition: Roundtable Report)
According to a December 2023 report by the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, “Lithium in the Energy Transition: Roundtable Report” (Dec 2023, available for download at: Lithium in the Energy Transition Report), the lithium industry is evolving rapidly to meet increased demands and geopolitical supply chain competition. China is flexing its global muscles to maintain control over the global lithium market, having nearly a decade headstart in mineral refining over other countries. China has also been adept at causing volatility in global prices by stockpiling and then flooding the market, complicating efforts by the US and other countries to gain a stronghold and stabilize prices. Chile, the second largest producer of lithium, globally, is plagued by political unrest as they try to pursue an aggressive new lithium strategy.
“A seismic development in the world of mineral resources has emerged along the Nevada-Oregon border, signaling a potential revolution in the global lithium supply chain. Geologists have uncovered a colossal lithium deposit within the McDermitt Caldera, and its implications could be felt far and wide, particularly by the United States in its quest for lithium independence.” (The Economic Times, 15 Sep 2023)
So, does Nevada really hold the key? Maybe… One challenge is that exploiting the lithium deposit at Thacker Pass, located 45 miles from the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation along the Nevada-Oregon border, is opposed by some Nevada Tribes because it is located near the sacred site of the 1865 massacre. Caleb Cage and colleagues from the Nevada Battery Coalition, will discuss this and Nevada’s position as a national leader in lithium supplies to power the transition to renewable energy sources. Caleb will open the program with an overview of the national security implications of onshoring the lithium supply chain, nationally. A group of esteemed panelists will discuss challenges and opportunities involved in mining, processing, and recycling lithium supplies in Nevada. Come with questions and join the conversation.
A challenge for all of us this year will be to follow a litany of urgent national security issues, while also exploring topics that may have longer term impacts for global security. NSF will do our best to provide you with resources, opportunities to engage with experts, friends and colleagues, and creative ways to avoid information overload without unplugging from all news and the world.
Other programs and events on our 2024 calendar include;
- April 17th – “Crisis at the Southern Border: Who’s coming and why?” (expert panel discussion)
- April 30th – May 1st (MSTS hosted tour of NNSS and Creech AFB. Details and signup coming in future email)
- May 23rd – NSF/WCSD Youth Security Forum at TMCC, “Civil Discourse: Getting Comfortable with Uncomfortable Conversations about the Israel-Hamas War” Volunteers and sponsors needed!
- July (TBD) – Joint NSF/MOAA program at the Chateau in Incline Village.
- Other programs and tours are in the works. We welcome your ideas, input and requests. Email me anytime at: [email protected]
Please join us for a very important and timely program and be ready to share your thoughts and questions with our speakers.
Caleb Cage currently serves as the Executive Director of the Nevada Battery Coalition. Prior to serving in this role, Caleb worked for various state agencies and elected officials in Nevada over a 15-year period including serving as State of Nevada COVID-19 Response Director, head of the State Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, and NSHE Assistant Vice Chancellor for Workforce Development and Community Colleges. Caleb is a native Nevadan who has served in various capacities in public service for his entire career. After graduating from the United States Military Academy, West Point, he was commissioned as an artillery officer in the United States Army. He served as a field artillery officer from 2002 to 2007, including time as a platoon leader in Baqubah, Iraq in 2004, and as an information operations battle captain in Baghdad in 2006. He is the author of Desert Mementos: Stories of Iraq and Nevada, and the co-author of The Gods of Diyala: Transfer of Command in Iraq (2008) with Gregory M. Tomlin. His essays and fiction have appeared in War, Literature, and the Arts, Red Rock Review, High Country News, Small Wars Journal, and various other publications and anthologies. He lives in Reno with his wife, Brooke, and his three children.
The National Security Forum is a non-partisan, educational, nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse and informed discussion about timely and important national security topics. We bring expert speakers from around the U.S. to talk about national and international security, domestic and foreign terrorism, economic and financial threats, the safety of our food and water supply, energy policy, electrical grid stability, and a variety of other topics that affect all Americans. The National Security Forum partners with the Washoe County School District to host an annual Youth Security Forum to encourage future generations national security leaders.
To support NSF continuing to bring national security programs to our community and our local students please join NSF as a member or Friend of the Forum at: https://nationalsecurityforum.org/membership/about-our-membership/