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Battery Council International (BCI) is calling on the U.S. Congress to advance measures and maintain existing provisions for domestic battery manufacturers. Battery Council International (BCI), a leading U.S. energy storage industry association, has issued policy recommendations for the 119th Congress, highlighting concerns about domestic manufacturing competitiveness and supply chain security. In a February 2025 report , BCI President Roger Miksad stresses that batteries are “a cornerstone of the modern American economy,” generating $8.1 trillion in economic output and approximately 48 million jobs across a variety of industries. The industry has been around for more than 100 years and has more than 160 member companies around the world and in the United States. The policy recommendations come at a time of change within the U.S. government, with the White House and the Trump administration placing very high levels of scrutiny on all government spending. Additionally, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that grid-connected battery storage capacity will double by 2024, something the U.S. domestic manufacturing base can support. BCI Recommendations to Congress The organization outlined five key policy priorities in the areas of manufacturing, the Department of Energy and security: Manufacturing Support : BCI urged Congress to retain Section 45X of the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit, warning that its removal would hurt domestic manufacturers in the face of foreign competition. The group also called for the elimination of excise taxes on battery raw materials, which were imposed under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021. Financing innovation : The trade group advocated for continued support for Department of Energy (DOE) research, citing recent successes including a $5 million DOE grant in 2024 for the development of long-duration energy storage with a target of $0.05/kWh by 2030. Security : Urge Congress to work with the Department of Labor to develop workplace safety regulations that are based on real-world operational data and not on academic models or nonoccupational exposure scenarios. And, to keep workers safe and protect domestic supply chains, BCI supports EPA labeling initiatives to improve battery collection and sorting processes, with the goal of preventing dangerous incidents such as lithium-ion batteries entering the wrong recycling streams, while maintaining efficient material recovery. On safety, the report specifically highlights safety concerns around battery recycling, noting that between 2013 and 2020, more than 240 fires were recorded at recycling facilities due to lithium-ion batteries entering incorrect recycling streams. Furthermore, in relation to recycling, at a later point in the report, BCI highlighted the strength of the national battery recycling infrastructure, with traditional automotive and industrial batteries achieving a recycling rate of 99% and 85% material recovery for new production. This is in stark contrast to lithium-ion batteries, which remain heavily reliant on imports. By 2024, China supplied about 70% of the cells and batteries imported into the U.S. Support for multichemistry The organization stressed that meeting U.S. energy storage needs requires a “multi-chemistry approach,” noting that traditional battery technologies have seen significant innovation, including a 50% increase in battery life over the past two decades. The policy push reflects growing industry concern about maintaining U.S. competitiveness in battery manufacturing as global demand increases and other countries lend significant support to their domestic battery industries. |
