UW SER Receives Sloan Foundation Award for Circular Economies and Critical Minerals Study

The University of Wyoming’s School of Energy Resources (SER) is set to be the recipient of a $745,632 award from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to conduct interdisciplinary research exploring the legal, social and environmental justice considerations associated with the buildout of a domestic U.S. supply chain for critical minerals and rare earth elements.

Focusing on opportunities and challenges arising from the development of a circular economy in which critical minerals and rare earth elements are recovered from existing waste streams within the power generation and hard-rock mining sectors, the research aims to enhance the knowledge and understanding of policymakers, scholars and the public on the possibility of developing a more sustainable critical minerals and rare earth elements economy through existing waste streams.

Leading the project as the principal investigator is Madeleine Lewis, an associate research scientist for law and policy in the newly formed Jurisprudence of Underground Law and Energy (JOULE) research group. The group focuses on substantive legal research related to subsurface utilization and energy projects under the direction of Tara Righetti, an SER professor of law and Occidental Chair in Energy and Environmental Policies.

“Through this research, we are hoping to identify opportunities to build out new supply chains from existing mining and power generation waste streams; explore challenges that exist at the community, environmental, social and legal levels; and provide recommendations for policy support,” Lewis says.

An attorney by training, Lewis has conducted significant research to identify gaps in the environmental justice interpretations in energy communities, as well as other legal guidance for energy projects alongside Righetti. The duo will join forces with SER’s Energy Engagement, Leadership and Careers Program, working with social science, workforce and critical materials experts Erin Phillips, director of cross-cutting programs, and Selena Gerace, senior research professional for community engagement, to expand the assessment on the project.

The project will do important work examining the possibility for critical mineral recovery to advance restoration and restorative justice for communities that have experienced legacy mine pollution, Righetti says.

“Maddie’s experience in energy law and anthropology and her scholarship on environmental justice make her an ideal leader for this research,” Righetti adds. “This project exemplifies the interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to research that we hope to develop in JOULE. We look forward to working with Erin and Selena to complement and build upon their pathbreaking work in the critical mineral space.”

This grant is the first award from the Sloan Foundation to SER and made directly to UW.

“We are delighted to be supporting this important project, which was selected from a highly competitive open call for proposals,” says Evan Michelson, program director at the Sloan Foundation. “This team stood out for its interdisciplinary collaboration, combining technical, social and legal research, and for its attention to producing policy-relevant outputs. Critical minerals and metals will play a central role in the low-carbon energy transition in the United States, and there is a pressing need for research linking policy and social science issues with engineering and natural science. Projects like this one are vital to informing the design of equitable and just critical mineral and metal supply chains over the coming years.”

About the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation is a not-for-profit, mission-driven grantmaking institution dedicated to improving the welfare of all through the advancement of scientific knowledge. Established in 1934 by Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr., then-president and CEO of the General Motors Corp., the foundation makes grants in four broad areas: direct support of research in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economics; initiatives to increase the quality, equity, diversity and inclusiveness of scientific institutions and the science workforce; projects to develop or leverage technology to empower research; and efforts to enhance and deepen public engagement with science and scientists.