"...The companies making [lithium-ion batteries] promote the bright futuristic possibilities of the “clean” technology. But virtually all such batteries use graphite, and...produces old-fashioned industrial pollution…Washington Post journalists heard the same story from villagers living near graphite companies [in provinces in Northeast China]: sparkling night air, damaged crops, homes and belongings covered in soot, polluted drinking water…. Some provinces…sought to crack down on the polluters…[b]ut…the cleanup efforts…were short-lived or otherwise inadequate...One obstacle is the complexity of supply chains and the secrecy that surrounds them…"