A Capitol View: May 2026

Welcome to A Capitol View!

SMI is geared up to once again partner with the Department of War to host the annual Advanced Materials Summit, as we continue to bring government officials together wiith industry and academia to accelerate technology innovation and industrial expansion.

What’s on tap: The two-day forum, titled Critical Materials Next, “will identify actionable policy pathways and key investment opportunities, such as those that leverage technology accelerators like artificial intelligence, automation, and innovative manufacturing, to ensure the United States recaptures and maintains a long-enduring materials advantage over its adversaries.”

‘Deliver solutions’: SMI this month will also host a subsequent daylong forum to delve deeper into how to leverage artificial intelligence in materials development, including through the multi-agency Materials Genome Initiative.

“AI offers significant promise to accelerate materials development timelines and deliver solutions to stakeholders at the speed of relevance,” according to a summary of the select event. “However, major barriers to adoption, scale-up, qualification, and commercialization remain —areas where future AI investments can and should be more strategically targeted.”

The AI forum will draw reps from the Departments of War and Energy, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more about SMI events by contacting VP Bryan Bender atbender@strategicmi.com.

SMI SPOTLIGHT

A SEASONED ADDITION: SMI is thrilled to announce that Matt Pearce, a seasoned legislative and advocacy professional has joined the firm as vice president.

Pearce, co-founder of government affairs firm Cannon Pearce, is the architect of a series of industry coalitions with proven results across sectors. He has worked with SMI on several high-impact initiatives, including helping spearhead the 2024 launch of the Battery Advocacy for Technology Transition, or BATT Coalition, a growing and influential alliance of innovators that are building a robust domestic battery supply chain.

Maximizing client success: “Matt is a client leader who knows how to craft a legislative and policy strategy and implement it to maximize a client’s success,” said SMI CEO Bill McCann. “After successfully co-founding Cannon Pearce and attracting great clients who will transition over to SMI, I am thrilled that Matt is now part of our team. He’s been an integral part of the success of BATT Coalition and consistently demonstrated both policy lobbying and coalition building expertise. As SMI continues to grow, a critical part of that strategy is attracting seasoned leaders like Matt.”

“I’m excited to be joining such a talented, dedicated team at SMI,” said Pearce. “I have seen firsthand over the past few years how they deliver for their clients. I am eager to get to work refining and combining the elements – technological, policy, and budgetary – that will help advance the nation’s industrial and economic goals and make us more secure.”

In his previous roles, Pearce was senior vice president at Venn Strategies and served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he also gained expertise in financial services and tax policy.

Read our press release.

LESSONS LEARNED: SMI VP John Major delivered a presentation on the acquisition lessons of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle program to the National Defense Industrial Association’s Spring Manufacturing Division meeting.

A procurement miracle: At the time, U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were being wounded and killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Major, who played a prominent industry role in the MRAP project, recounted how the Department of War worked with its industry partners to develop and produce “a flood of vehicles in a time span that most observers considered astounding, something not seen since the procurement miracles of World War II.”

The MRAP fleet met an urgent battlefield need not by operating as a small, rapid acquisition program outside the acquisition rules but within the normal structure. “It is an important pointer to a new kind of agile procurement,” Major said.

DEMAND AND SUPPLY: SMI VP Samm Gillard will be moderating a panel on “Mitigating Supply Chain Challenges & Critical Materials More Efficiently for Advanced Energy Storage Systems” at the Defense Strategies Institute’supcoming Advanced Energy Storage for Defense & Security Summit.

The event, taking place in Washington May 27-28, will convene decision makers and innovators from across the federal government, commercial sector, and academia to explore how emerging technologies are powering the next generation of energy solutions, from customizable intelligent battery cells and advanced management systems, to non-lithium-ion solutions and AI-driven digital twins.

DEFENSE

‘IDEAL CASE’: SMI client Fincantieri Marine Group, the U.S. subsidiary of the Italian shipbuilding giant, recently announced it plans to construct the Saildrone’s Spectre, a new class of high-speed unmanned surface vessel (USV), for the U.S. Navy.

The long endurance, ultra-quiet Spectre is designed for anti-submarine warfare operations. It will be built in FMG’s Wisconsin shipyard system, which has the capacity to deliver multiple vessels annually.

Fincantieri Marine Group CEO George Moutafis called the Spectre “an ideal case on which to apply Fincantieri Marine Group’s proven expertise in the serial production of aluminum vessels.”

“We are excited to join this formidable team and swiftly deliver these capabilities to the warfighter,” he added.

ENERGY

GREEN LIGHT, MAYBE: We are steadily learning more about the hundreds of delayed clean energy projects at the Department of Energy that recently got the Trump administration’s go-ahead to proceed after a months-long review. But there are still some open questions.

Clearing up the confusion: “For example, the list includes several awards that received termination notices from DOE last year and others that have already completed or are in the closeout phase,” says SMI Analyst Sydney Rovner. “This was corroborated through conversations with DOE staff familiar with several projects appearing on the list.”

She added that the list “may reflect only the subset of projects that have made it through the contracting process, and therefore not inclusive of projects that have been paused while in the midst of contract negotiations.”

SMI is working with clients to engage with DOE contract managers to get more clarity on the way ahead.

Go deeper: DOE sends a list of ‘retained’ projects to Congress

‘MARKET-READY SOLUTIONS’: SMI clients Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Oregon State University, and the University of Tennessee Knoxville were among the recipients of awards from the Department of Energy Office of Minerals and Energy Innovation “to enhance the competitiveness of American industry and support the onshoring of American manufacturing.”

WPI was selected for leading development of laser-based technology to reduce costs in food production and paper applications. Oregon State is leading a project to enhance the quality of concrete through domestically sourced innovative feedstocks. And the University of Tennessee is spearheading an innovative wastewater treatment method using oxygen nanobubbles.

In all 20, projects were selected in 15 states totaling $52 million.

The projects, DOE said, will “advance innovative, market-ready solutions for energy-intensive industrial sectors including chemicals and refining, iron and steel, food and beverage, pulp and paper, and cement and concrete manufacturing.”

And view all the selections here.

‘IMPROVING GRID RELIABILITY’: SMI was pleased to see final passage of the bipartisan Build More Hydro bill, which empowers the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to extend construction deadlines for dozens of hydropower projects that were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain shortages, or other obstacles.

SMI VP Jeff Leahey worked closely with the National Hydropower Association and other public and private sector partners to help get the legislation adopted.

Read the bill.

More ‘excellent news’: DOE also announced that it will soon resume negotiations to issue nearly $430 million in payments to hydropower facilities as part of the Hydroelectric Incentives Program.

“This is excellent news for the hydropower industry, which has been counting on this funding for critical facility improvements,” said NHA President and CEO Malcolm Woolf. “This funding will significantly improve hydropower reliability, fish passage, and dam safety.”

MANUFACTURING

‘PLANNING TO CONSTRUCTION’:SMI client Anthro Energy secured a $24.9 million award for the next phase of its next-generation lithium-ion battery plant in Kentucky.

“The approval marks a major step toward building domestic capacity for electrolytes, a critical battery component, at a time when global supply chains remain heavily concentrated in China,” the company said. “This milestone enables Anthro Energy to move from planning to construction and to scale up the first large-scale, U.S.-owned and operated advanced electrolyte production facility.”

The grant, under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, follows an $18.4 million investment in tax credits through the Inflation Reduction Act’s 48C program.

Read up: Anthro Energy Receives U.S. Department of Energy Approval to Advance First U.S.-Owned Advanced Electrolyte Manufacturing Facility into Execution Phase

Plus: Inside plans for $42 million, first-of-a-kind Louisville battery plant

Go deeper: Beyond the Valley of Death: Securing America’s Critical Minerals Future Through Innovation

More energy news: Energy Department Announces Overhaul of Small Business Innovation Research Programs

LIFE SCIENCES

TRANSFORMATIVE: SMI client SHINE Technologies recently received a pledge from the Department of Energy for a $263 million loan to help produce a domestic supply of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), the life-saving medical isotope used to diagnose heart disease, cancer, and other serious medical conditions.

A first-of-its-kind medical isotope project, known as Chrysalis, relies on SHINE’s novel, American-made fusion technology platform, which offers major advantages over conventional production methods, including reduced waste and operating costs.

“Proud partner’: The U.S. currently relies on imports of Mo-99 produced from aging research reactors, while the isotope decays in volume and value by about one-third during transit. The new facility in Janesville, Wisconsin, will address a critical national security vulnerability in advanced nuclear systems.

“SMI has been proud to partner with SHINE to help secure federal funding for the development and deployment of fusion technology for a variety of critical applications, from radiation hardened microelectronics to neutron radiographic inspection of military parts to this exciting medical isotope effort,” said SMI Senior VP Jeremy Steslicki.