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Abigail Hunter
Director at SAFE Center for Critical Minerals Strategy
Abigail Hunter is the Executive Director of the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at SAFE (Securing America's Future Energy). Her role focuses on building secure, sustainable, and ethical supply chains for critical minerals essential for energy, transportation, and technology innovations. She aims to reduce dependencies on foreign entities, particularly China, by fostering partnerships and advocating for responsible mineral production practices.12
Career Background::
- Director of International Affairs and Partnerships: Prior to her current position, Hunter served in this role within the same center, where she was responsible for nurturing existing partnerships and developing new ones to support sustainable supply chains.23
- Senior Attaché for Quebec: Before joining SAFE full-time, she worked for nearly three years as the senior attaché in Washington, D.C., representing Quebec's interests in energy, environment, and trade with the United States.14
- National Governors Association: Hunter began her career here, leading international engagement efforts and connecting U.S. governors with global partners.35
Education::
- Master's in Sustainable Energy: She graduated summa cum laude from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.35
- Bachelor of Commerce: Hunter earned her degree from McGill University with a double major in International Management and Managing for Sustainability.23
Personal Background:: Born in Toronto and raised in New Jersey, Abigail Hunter holds dual citizenship and is known for her commitment to climate action and sustainable practices. She is also recognized as a youth leader in climate initiatives.34
Highlights
With today’s FEOC / 30D guidance introducing a new Traced Qualifying Value Test and Representatives Tonko and Graves introducing the TRACE Act earlier this week, I thought it would be appropriate to “recycle” (forgive the pun) photos and thoughts from SAFE’s recycling briefing with the Embassy of Belgium in the United States of America and Representative Tonko’s office.
During the briefing, we addressed the need for traceability, transparency, and EU-US policy coordination to move the market together. Today we are seeing progress on these issues.
➡️One of the pieces of logic behind the new test for the clean vehicle tax credit, which will replace the 50% roll up test in the previous guidance in 2027, is that it aligns with standards required by other regulatory regimes, namely the EU.
➡️The TRACE Act will empower the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a robust transparency system—to combat challenges like forced labor and unsustainable mining practices while helping companies and consumers make responsible choices.
The current opacity of critical mineral markets is a significant barrier to creating secure supply chains urgently needed for defense and the energy transition—not just in the United States, but globally.
Together, this move towards harmonizing traceability regimes and legislation to enable transparency, begin to address challenges to our competitiveness and put us on a path towards a global race to the top.
There is still work and analysis to be done on implementation—including me, admittedly, finishing reading the entire 250 page rule—and turning the TRACE Act into law, but this is a great foundation on which to build.
Find the full Internal Revenue Service’s 30D final rule here: https://lnkd.in/eb-cXg6B
Find the full TRACE Act here: https://lnkd.in/ez54AQkV
And a big belated thanks to Umicore USA, Silverado Policy Accelerator, and Panasonic North America for their participation in this event!
SAFE Summit 2024 was a huge success! I was honored to moderate three discussions over the two days: "Rock Solid Allies" with Canadian Minister François-Philippe Champagne, "World Wide Wallets" with EXIM Chair Reta Jo Lewis, Esq. and Deputy CEO of the DFC Nisha Biswal, and an armchair with Australian Ambassador Kevin Rudd unofficially titled "Solving the Nickel Pickle."
From manganese projects in Arizona to polymetallic nodules in the Cook Islands and battery passports to multinational supply chain coordination, the Summit really hit all aspects of electrification in all corners of the world!
Thanks to our sponsors and speakers who made the Summit an incredible event to witness!
If you missed the Summit, you can catch all the panels here: https://lnkd.in/gVkgtVv4
