Why It Matters

PLS Group Ltd. has registered Continental Strategy LLC to lobby on six policy areas spanning defense, manufacturing, energy and nuclear issues, natural resources, taxation, and trade.

By the Numbers

Continental Strategy LLC will handle the account with two lobbyists, Doug MacGillivray, a partner, and Caroline Farr, a vice president.

MacGillivray brings extensive lobbying experience, having filed 22 lobbying disclosures across clients including Volcan Compañía Minera SAA, Mercuria Energy America LLC and Arcfield in recent months. Farr previously worked as a legislative correspondent in Rep. Bob Goodlatte's (R-VA) office during the 115th Congress.

MacGillivray has no recorded congressional staff experience but has worked as a lobbyist at Continental Strategy LLC, the American Public Gas Association and Venn Strategies LLC.

Broader Context

Executive Order 14415 encourages defense contractors to begin qualifying new domestic sources of critical minerals, materials, and components used in designated national security procurements. The order directs the defense secretary to initiate regulations requiring contractors that rely on materials or components from unreliable foreign suppliers for designated acquisitions to qualify and use alternative sources when available.

A Presidential Determination under the Defense Production Act covers black mass, end-of-life materials, rare-earth magnets, and manufacturing scrap. The determination found that recoverable critical minerals and materials are scarce and critical to national defense and authorized the commerce secretary to take action under Section 101 of the Defense Production Act.

The Trump administration also ordered the defense secretary to add mineral production as a priority industrial capability development area for the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment Program.

The U.S.-Australia Critical Minerals Framework Agreement has been described as the most comprehensive bilateral agreement on strategic materials in modern history.

The Bottom Line

PLS Group Ltd. retained Continental Strategy LLC to lobby on defense, manufacturing, energy and nuclear, natural resources, taxation, and trade issues.

The registration comes as the Trump administration moves to strengthen critical mineral supply chains and reduce reliance on unreliable foreign suppliers for materials and components used in defense procurement.

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