RE:1studentyouknowwhat,
Those DJT administration (2018) imposed 301 tarifffs were made to necessarily exclude graphite and graphite battery component material.
The fight was on (see the North America Graphite Alliance letter to the U.S. Trade representative and President Biden) to try to stop the exclusion of those DJT administration introduced 25% tariffs on graphite and graphite battery materials.
Before May 31, 2024 the exclusion of graphite and graphite battery materials from being subjected to that 25% tariff is to either be renewed for a further period or some other perhaps entirely foolsih action in said respect would be determined and undertaken by and on behalf of this Biden led U.S. Government administration.
On a related and initially thought to be not so upbeat note, during Friday the members of the North America Graphite Alliance, had been dealt somewhat of a blow by the extention, for two years, of eligibility of subsidies under the U.S. "IRA" for automakers acquiring battery packs containing battery cells comprised of graphite battery component materials purchased from privately controlled companies determined to be affiliated with foreign entities of concern, China, Russia, Iran, etc.
Granted, such automakers had been provided such a 2 year reprieve on express condition that they must sufficiently demonstrate to the satisfaction of the U.S. Government that they are in fact taking "bonafide and bankable" steps towards guaranteeing that within this two year grace period such automakers would be 100% weaned off purchasing the battery materials in question from privately controlled companies determined to be affiliated with foreign entities of concern, China, Russia, Iran, etc.
We note that such "bonafide and bankable" steps, which must immediately be undertaken by or on behalf of such U.S. situated and 2 year reprieve granted automakers, obviously include the forthwith inking of long term battery grade graphite material offtake purchase agreements and graphite or graphitic battery material production offtake agreements with Canadian, Australian, U.S. and Mexican based (or otherwise "friendly") graphite mining corporations and also the concurrently occurring capital investments agreements taken up with such already integrated graphite mining and 2,000 tpa graphite and/or graphitic battery materials manufacturing companies, e.g Nouveau Monde Graphite and perhaps to some as yet entirely unknown extent even NGC.