Arkansas is blessed with remarkable natural resources — from our lakes and rivers to our forests and fertile farmland. Yet many people are less familiar with another asset beneath our feet: the rich energy-related resources that play an important role in our nation’s supply chain. 

The Smackover Formation, a geologic unit that runs across south Arkansas featuring immense petroleum and natural gas deposits, was the site of an oil boom during the 1920s. It proved to be among the largest oil reserves in America at the time, and local communities across Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida benefited from the rush this discovery generated.

In addition to its traditional energy reserves, the Smackover Formation has supported new industries since the early 2000s. Brine extracted from it can be refined to produce bromine, a valuable element used across a wide range of sectors including textiles, agriculture and healthcare.

More recent discoveries have brought renewed attention and exciting developments in the region. In addition to bromine, scientists and engineers identified significant concentrations of lithium in the brine found deep under the surface. Continued research has confirmed that this area holds substantial, previously untapped lithium reserves. 

What had been described as a “hidden treasure” is quickly becoming a highly visible asset because of the strategic importance it can play in meeting critical demand within our domestic supply chain with potential national security and economic ramifications.

A 2024 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study estimated that between 5 and 19 million tons of lithium lie beneath southwestern Arkansas — enough to meet the nation’s needs for years to come. USGS officials also noted that, by 2030, this reserve could exceed the global demand for lithium used in car batteries nine times over.

Federal action has helped lay the groundwork for developing critical minerals like lithium. The U.S. Department of Energy has supported research, development and extraction of these resources while the Secretary of the Interior released the final Critical Minerals List for 2025, identifying the minerals essential to America’s economic and national security. Lithium was among them.

Although lithium is essential to both domestic industries and national defense technologies, the United States produces only a small fraction of its own supply. I appreciate that the urgency to develop the resource domestically is now being addressed.

I have worked alongside our congressional delegation to encourage public-private partnerships to strengthen the lithium industry as well as collaboration and cooperation between state and federal agencies to ensure these projects are not subject to overly burdensome regulations. The fact is that, like with most other energy projects, we can do this cleaner than the rest of the world, using less land and still protecting our water supply.

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and I have also urged the Trump administration to prioritize U.S.-sourced lithium and the growing strategic role that South Arkansas now plays in critical mineral security given how foundational lithium is in the manufacture of precision munitions and advanced weapons systems that ensure our military’s readiness and superiority.

With this resource under our feet, Arkansas can potentially play a major role in helping restore American energy independence and reducing our reliance on China. And you would be hard pressed to find a place as eager as The Natural State to take the lead and truly capitalize on this opportunity. 

It is not acceptable for the United States to continue relying on foreign sources for critical minerals when we have the ability to secure these resources at home. Developing domestic capacity is essential to protecting our economic future and ensuring long-term national security.