Benchmark recognizes Murkowski's critical minerals leadership.

At its annual Giga USA conference in Washington, D.C., Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Ltd. presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), recognizing her pivotal role in shaping national policy on critical minerals and supply chain security.

Founded as a specialized provider of battery material pricing data, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has grown into a central node in the global effort to track, analyze, and forecast the supply chains underpinning the energy transition.

Headquartered in the United Kingdom, the analytics firm has expanded its coverage to include a broader range of critical inputs – such as rare earth elements and copper – that underpin clean energy technologies, advanced manufacturing, and national defense, and is widely regarded as a primary reference for governments, institutional investors, and industry stakeholders alike.

As demand for critical minerals has continued to accelerate, Benchmark's data and analysis have become instrumental in shaping mineral policy and informing global market strategy.

Hosted annually in Washington, D.C., Giga USA is Benchmark's flagship conference focused on the upstream and midstream segments of the lithium-ion battery and energy storage supply chain – bringing together policymakers, industry leaders, and technical experts to assess market trends, policy developments, and infrastructure needs.

With this year's program highlighting policy leadership and domestic mineral strategy, the presentation of Benchmark's Lifetime Achievement Award served as a reflection of that focus.

Representing the resource-rich state of Alaska, Sen. Murkowski has played a central role in elevating critical minerals to a matter of national policy for more than a decade.

During that time, she has consistently advanced bipartisan legislation aimed at identifying domestic resources, improving permitting timelines, and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign supply chains – positioning mineral security as a foundation for energy, technology, and defense readiness.

Her legislative focus on mineral security began well before the issue entered the national spotlight, introducing the Critical Minerals Policy Act in 2011 – one of the earliest attempts in Congress to define a federal strategy for identifying mineral dependencies, expanding domestic production, and modernizing outdated permitting systems.

Many of its core principles were later codified in the Energy Act of 2020 – a bipartisan law she co-authored as chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that directed federal agencies to prioritize mineral research, expand recycling initiatives, and strengthen domestic supply chains.

This year's recognition from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence marks a culmination of that policy legacy.

Joining an esteemed group of previous recipients, including Nobel Prize-winning battery pioneer Sir Stanley Whittingham, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Tesla co-founder and Redwood Materials CEO JB Straubel, Murkowski was honored for the sustained legislative groundwork that helped transform mineral security from an overlooked vulnerability into a cornerstone of national energy and economic strategy.

"Senator Lisa Murkowski has been the guiding light for the critical minerals industry we see today," said Benchmark Mineral Intelligence Executive Chairman Simon Moores. "Critical minerals like lithium, graphite, and rare earths are now more geopolitically important than oil. Without Senator Murkowski, critical minerals would not be in the mainstream policy conversation or global discourse. I've had the privilege of working closely with her for nearly a decade: our industry cannot thank her enough."

The senator responded with appreciation, noting the shared progress made in advancing U.S. mineral priorities.

"I was proud to accept Benchmark's Lifetime Achievement Award this week at the GIGA USA conference. Benchmark sets the standard for excellence in mineral intelligence, so to be recognized by them is a true honor," Murkowski wrote in a social media post. "I thank Simon and his team for being great partners across many years as we have sought to rebuild U.S. supply chains. Together, we've made substantial progress in raising awareness and taken the first key steps to restore U.S. mineral security."