Arkansas

Arkansas Delegation Urges Fed to Back US Vanadium Production

Published

11 months ago

May 22, 2025

Arkansas Delegation Urges Fed to Back US Vanadium Production

Arkansas’ federal congressional delegation has submitted two letters to Pentagon Secretary Pete Hegseth to support expansion of vanadium production in the U.S. in order to counter the current effective control of vanadium supply chains by Russia and China.

In two separate letters to Hegseth, Arkansas Sens. Tom Cotton (R) and John Boozman (R) and Arkansas Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-4) and French Hill (R-2) urged Hegseth to direct the National Defense Stockpile to purchase and store at least one year’s supply of vanadium in order to better insulate the U.S. military and commercial manufacturers from potential supply chain disruptions because of Russia’s and China’s control of 75 percent of global vanadium supply chains. U.S. Reps. Troy Balderson (R-OH), Rich McCormick (R-GA), Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Randy Weber (R-TX) also joined in urging action.

Arkansas-based U.S. Vanadium is the leading producer of high-purity vanadium oxide in the U.S. It praised the Arkansas delegation for promoting more domestic production of vanadium, which is a U.S. government-designated critical mineral.

“We applaud the strong leadership of Senators Cotton and Boozman and Congressmen Westerman and Hill for alerting the Pentagon and the Trump Administration to the strategic vanadium vulnerability facing the U.S., and to take action to mitigate this threat by stockpiling vanadium and encouraging greater domestic production of this strategic material,” said US Vanadium Executive Chairman Mark Smith in a statement. “We also greatly appreciate the continuing strong support provided to our company by the entire Arkansas congressional delegation and for their ongoing efforts to support economic growth and job creation in Arkansas.”

The Arkansas senators wrote: “Vanadium is an official USGS critical mineral required for ballistic missiles, jet engines and airframes, night vision, armor steel, body armor, combat vehicles, and other weapons systems critical to national defense. China and Russia control 75% of the global vanadium supply, leaving the Department of Defense open to significant disruption in its weapons supply chain.

“Vanadium compounds such as high purity vanadium pentoxide and ferrovanadium are critical to applications where steel and titanium are used, meaning they are a key element of US defense and essential civilian technologies. The United States consumed 14,000 metric tons of vanadium in 2024, with domestic production only accounting for 3,800 metric tons. The United States imports high purity vanadium pentoxide from Brazil and South Africa, but market conditions threaten those supply chains. Ferrovanadium supply chains rely on material converted in-part from Russian and Chinese material. Currently, no substitute materials exist.

“The United States risks being left without viable resources of this critical mineral if the Department and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) do not take decisive action. We request DLA immediately begin to stockpile at least one year of military and essential civilian uses of both ferrovanadium and aerospace grade vanadium pentoxide in the National Defense Stockpile (NDS). We also request the Department work with the rest of the United States government to prioritize domestic production of vanadium compounds, to include reviewing environmental and other regulations that stifle domestic production.”

The congressmen reiterated the need for action on vanadium: “When President Trump addressed the joint session of Congress on March 4, 2025, the President reiterated his support of dramatically expanding production of critical minerals and rare earth elements in America. Therefore, we ask your office to direct the DLA [Defense Logistics Agency] to stockpile at least one year of military and essential civilian uses of ferrovanadium and aerospace grade vanadium pentoxide. As our country reviews critical supply chains that are central to our competitiveness in the face of rising global threats, we urge you to consider the importance of vanadium and the concerning global supply chain of the industry.”

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Arkansas

Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

Published

1 hour ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Effort to cut former Arkansas corrections secretary’s position as adviser to governor fails – Arkansas Times

A legislative panel rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have eliminated former Corrections Secretary Joe Profiri’s job as an adviser to Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

A top lawmaker also suggested that Profiri may return to his job overseeing the state prison system, two years after he was fired by the state Board of Corrections as part of a dispute with Sanders.

The proposal rejected by the Joint Budget Committee’s personnel subcommittee would have written into the appropriation for Sanders’ office language eliminating Profiri’s position from the Republican governor’s staff. Subcommittee members voted 9-6 against the amendment, with Rep. Lane Jean not casting a vote.

Republican Sen. Terry Rice introduced the proposal last week, a little over six months after Profiri didn’t appear at a hearing on the now-stalled Franklin County prison project before a committee that Rice co-chairs.

Rice called this a “major trust-breaker.”

“The Board of Corrections members asked Mr. Profiri to share his intended plans as secretary, and they would work with him. He ignored multiple attempts,” Rice said. “I was told during that meeting, he was in the Capitol, had been seen in the hall at the same time. He didn’t even reply and chose to snub legislators’ questions.”

Profiri was fired by the Arkansas Board of Corrections as the leader of the state’s prison agency in 2024, following months of increasing tensions between the constitutionally-independent board and Sanders over opening new beds when the Department of Corrections already struggled to find sufficient staffing. Those tensions eventually resulted in lawsuits, which are still unresolved, and Profiri’s firing.

After he was fired, the Republican governor hired Profiri as a senior advisor, making him the highest paid staffer in her office. Profiri is paid $183,699.98 a year, according to the Arkansas transparency portal.

Jean, a Republican from Magnolia who co-chairs the Joint Budget Committee, asked Department of Finance and Administration Secretary Jim Hudson and Board of Corrections member Lee Watson “what the timeline was” for Sanders to rehire Profiri as corrections secretary, pointing to the new makeup of the board.

“I don’t think there’s any objection to the board, or certainly a majority of the board, to hire him (again). What are we waiting on?” Jean asked.

“What I can say is Secretary (Lindsay) Wallace, she is the secretary, and she will continue as secretary until the governor decides she’s not secretary,” Hudson said. “In the interim, (Profiri) continues to do his job as an adviser to the governor.”

The ongoing lawsuit between the Board of Corrections and Sanders centers on who has the authority to fire the corrections secretary. A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ruled last year that the board does. Sanders appealed the ruling.

The board’s new Sanders-appointed majority voted to accept a settlement agreement accepting her position that she is the one with firing authority earlier this month, though the lower court order remains in force until the Arkansas Supreme Court rules on the matter.

Sam Dubke, Sanders’ spokesperson, referred the Advocate to Hudson’s remarks when asked for comment on whether Profiri would be rehired as corrections secretary.

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Arkansas

TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

Published

14 hours ago

April 21, 2026

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TST Images: Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, in Tulsa

TULSA, Okla –The Tulsa Drillers defeat the Arkansas Travelers, 11-3, on April 19, 2026 at ONEOK Field and The Sporting Tribune’s Robert Sloter was there to capture the following TST Images.

Luke Fox #15 of the Tulsa Drillers throws a pitch during a game against the Arkansas Travelers at ONEOK Field on April 19, 2026 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.