KoBold Metals, backed by billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has launched a massive lithium exploration campaign in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), seeking to bring the critical resource used in electric vehicles and other batteries to the United States, the company announced April 13. “This campaign is possible because of the courage and vision of the DRC government and the tireless work of the [U.S. State Department] to create the conditions for American companies to succeed in the DRC,” KoBold CEO Kurt House posted on X April 13. KoBold Metals opened an office in Lubumbashi, Congo’s second-largest city, in February after signing an agreement last year to gain access to nearly 1,200 square miles in the mineral-rich Manono lithium project, where some of the highest-grade lithium pegmatites in the world have been found, KoBold said....