About this episode
Howard Klein of RK Equity discusses the Trump administration's Project Vault initiative and explains how a strategic lithium reserve could help boost the country's efforts to create secure supply chains.
“The goal of a strategic lithium reserve is to stabilize prices and allow the industry to develop,” he explained. “If prices fall too low, the reserve would step in as a buyer. If prices spike too high, it could sell into the market.”
This interview was filmed on February 13, 2026.
Chapters
(00:00) Intro
(00:30) What is Project Vault?
(09:02) Ranking critical minerals
(21:43) China's lithium influence
(25:40) What about midstream?
(30:35) Western skills shortage
(36:13) Strategic Lithium Reserve
(44:06) Energy storage outlook
(50:57) Phosphate's key role
(57:49) Outro
Sponsors
- Lithium Royalty Corp (TSX: LIRC) - diversified lithium royalty portfolio.
(Website: https://www.lithiumroyaltycorp.com/ | X: https://x.com/Lithium_Royalty)
- USCF Investments - commodity-focused ETFs (e.g., CPER copper, ZSB battery metals, USG gold, SDCI diversified commodities).
(Website: https://www.uscfinvestments.com/ | X: https://x.com/USCFInvestments)
Links
- Strategic Lithium Reserve (SLR) White Paper: https://blog.rkequity.com/2025/12/08/strategic-lithium-reserve/
- Read Matt's research blog: https://blog.rkequity.com/
- Sign up for the Lithium-Ion Bull newsletter/Matt's Blogs: https://rkequity.com/
Have a question? Drop us an email: rockstockchannel@rkequity.com
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/rockstockchannel
Podcast:
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lithium-ion-rocks/id1457969172
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KiMIZOPaDg8ENfPJMSINq
X (Twitter):
Howard: https://x.com/LithiumIonBull
Rodney: https://x.com/RodneyHooper13
Matt: https://x.com/matt_fernley
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DISCLAIMER
NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH
Howard, Matt and Rodney are not financial advisors nor broker-dealers, this video is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment or financial advice. P
