{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-celebrates-national-science-foundation-critical-mineral-accelerator-engine-coming-to-uaf", "Sullivan Celebrates National Science Foundation Critical Mineral Accelerator Engine Coming to UAF", "2026-07-14", "2026", "2026-07", "Republican", "Senate", "AK", "Dan Sullivan", "S001198", "www.sullivan.senate.gov", "sullivan", "https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases?PageNum_rs=1", "scraper", "Award Could Bring Up to $160 Million in Funding to Alaska\n\nWASHINGTON\u2014U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) today celebrated an announcement from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that the Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative (ACMC), led by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), has been selected as one of the new NSF Regional Innovation Engines. The designation could bring up to $160 million in funding to Alaska over the next 10 years and will help advance critical mineral development, innovation, and collaboration across Alaska and the United States.\n\n\u201cThe new NSF Engine anchored at UAF, one of our nation\u2019s premier research universities, will position the United States to lead not only in mineral production but also in the technologies that make mining smarter, safer, and more sustainable,\u201d said Sen. Sullivan. \u201cAlaska is home to 56 of the 60 minerals designated as \u2018critical\u2019 by the United States. That\u2019s why I\u2019ve championed efforts in the Senate to secure our nation\u2019s critical mineral supply chains and realize Alaska\u2019s untapped mineral potential to reduce America\u2019s dangerous overreliance on China. ACMC\u2019s proposal is another mineral initiative that I strongly advocated for, including through several letters and conversations with the leadership of the National Science Foundation. Alaska\u2019s NSF mineral accelerator engine is one piece of a larger vision for UAF and our research institutions across the state that I\u2019ve been pushing for years. UAF\u2019s recently announced collaboration with the Department of War is another sign of the growing recognition of Alaska\u2019s strategic importance and the state\u2019s emergence as a world-class hub for research and innovation, including now in the critical minerals sector. I want to congratulate members of the Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative on all your hard work in putting forward such a strong proposal.\u201d\n\n\u201cSenator Sullivan has long recognized that Alaska's critical minerals are essential to America's economic future and national security,\u201d said Lee Ann Munk,director, Alaska Critical Minerals Collaborative. \u201cHis leadership in advancing domestic mineral development and secure supply chains has helped create the momentum that made this opportunity possible. We are grateful for his steadfast support and look forward to working together to ensure Alaska becomes the nation's leader in critical minerals innovation, technology, and workforce development.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nSen. Sullivan has focused heavily on strengthening domestic critical mineral supply chains and ensuring that federal scientific investments translate into real-world competitiveness, national security, and durable economic growth.\n\nBelow is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan\u2019s recent advocacy for the ACMC proposal.\n\nIn July 2025 and October 2025, Sen. Sullivan led two Alaska congressional delegation letters of support endorsing the ACMC proposal.\n\nIn February 2026, Sen. Sullivan participated in a virtual site visit (roundtable) intended to provide NSF leaders and external reviewers with an Alaska leadership perspective as part of the ACMC\u2019s final application review process. Roundtable participants included University of Alaska (UA) President Pat Pitney, UAF Chancellor Mike Sfraga, Alaska Department of Natural Resources leadership, Alaska Native Corporation representatives, mining industry stakeholders, and research partners. During the roundtable, Sen. Sullivan emphasized Alaska\u2019s strategic importance to U.S. critical mineral supply chains, the strength of the cross-sector coalition supporting the engine, and his commitment to helping bridge federal coordination or policy gaps if ACMC\u2019s proposal is selected.\n\nIn March 2026, Sen. Sullivan sent a follow-up letter to NSF leadership thanking them for the February 2026 roundtable and reiterating his support for the ACMC proposal.\n\nIn June 2026, Sen. Sullivan met with Brian Stone, acting director of the NSF, and conveyed his support for the ACMC application to the NSF Regional Engines Program.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-07-15T07:12:08Z", "2026-07-15T07:13:45Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sullivan-celebrates-national-science-foundation-critical-mineral-accelerator-engine-coming-to-uaf"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2954440899193287, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}