• ChineseInvestors.com enters licensing partnership with The Bad Crypto Podcast to redistribute popular interviews in the Chinese language
• Company announces partnership and recruiting efforts on MoneyTV
• Seen as latest step in a move to strengthen the company’s focus on being a leader in financial information

ChineseInvestors.com, Inc. (OTCQB: CIIX), a company providing premier financial consulting to the Chinese-speaking community, recently announced that it has entered into a licensing partnership with The Bad Crypto Podcast. CIIX will be redistributing Chinese translations of the podcast’s most popular interviews on www.NewCoins168.com, which will include Charlie Lee, founder and developer of Litecoin; Roger Ver, also known as ‘Bitcoin Jesus’; and Patrick Bryne, Overstock.com CEO and founder of tZERO. CIIX CEO Warren Wang has also appeared on the show, first in December 2017 and again on May 23, 2018.

“Since it first aired in July 2017, The Bad Crypto Podcast hosted by Joel Comm, Bitcoin Evangelist and Travis Wright, Blockchain Entrepreneur, has become a worldwide phenomenon with over 150 episodes for curious individuals trying to figure out cryptocurrency, blockchain and the future of digital payments,” Wang stated in a news release. “We are confident that this lighthearted, entertaining programming offered in Chinese will be well received by viewers looking to expand their crypto knowledge whether they are newbies or more experienced crypto investors.”

This past week, CEO Warren Wang reported on company progress from New York City on MoneyTV with Donald Baillargeon (http://ibn.fm/GABMq). Wang shared news regarding the partnership with The Bad Crypto Podcast. Wang also shared that he was in New York recruiting more key players for this new project.

CIIX is the leading financial information website for Chinese-speaking investors, reaching a global audience. Using traditional and simplified Chinese character sets, this fintech company provides online financial information to the Chinese-speaking community. With online editorial reporters in New York, Los Angeles and China, the company is able to provide 24/7 coverage of the industry. The addition of The Bad Crypto Podcast is one more step in a move to strengthen the company’s focus on being a leader in financial information. This podcast will join the ever-growing educational services provided by CIIX. The company has been providing educational offerings on the crypto news website www.NewCoins168.com, through the Bitcoin MultiMillionaire daily video broadcast and from the floor cryptocurrency news reporting at the New York Stock Exchange.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ChineseInvestors.com

• U.S. Senate declares ‘Hemp History Week’ from June 4-10
• Pending legislation in U.S. Congress to remove restrictions on hemp cultivation
• Hemp cultivation operations underway in the U.S. and Canada for Global Hemp Group

Forty-eight years after the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) of 1970 criminalized its use, hemp may finally be escaping from its stigma as an illegal substance. An omen of that impending legitimacy appeared on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, when the U.S. Senate approved a resolution declaring June 4-10 ‘Hemp History Week’. The resolution made note of “the growing economic potential of industrial hemp” as well as its “historical relevance,” and its unanimous passage augurs well for the industrial hemp industry, which is now rebooting after a hiatus of 60-odd years. Commercial cultivation of hemp in the U.S. effectively ceased after 1958.

This celebration of hemp follows the introduction of the Hemp Farming Act of 2018 in the U.S. Senate, which proposes, among other things, to remove hemp from Schedule 1 of the CSA. The Senate bill further reinforces the legitimacy of industrial hemp and growers like Global Hemp Group Inc. (CSE: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF) (FRANKFURT: GHG). Together with Marijuana Company of America (OTC: MCOA), Global Hemp is already executing its plan to cultivate hemp on a commercial basis in North America, with operations in New Brunswick, Canada, and Oregon.

Early European settlers to North America cultivated hemp freely. In the U.S., cultivation was concentrated in Kentucky, Missouri and Illinois between 1840 and 1860, but by the early twentieth century, only Kentucky seems to have been still at it. After brief resurgences during the world wars, cultivation in the U.S. practically ceased as legislation, such as the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, began to take effect.

Although the 1937 legislation did not directly make cannabis cultivation in the U.S. illegal, it did require its authorization from the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (a precursor to the Drug Enforcement Agency), then an agency of the Treasury Department. An exception was made in Wisconsin, which was permitted to produce hemp fiber until 1958. After certain sections were declared unconstitutional, the 1937 Marihuana Tax Act was repealed and replaced with the CSA. Now, there’s increasing likelihood that the CSA itself will be amended. The Senate Majority Leader, who introduced the 2018 changes, is Mitch McConnell, the senior senator from Kentucky, who is undoubtedly aware of his state’s history in hemp.

Global Hemp Group has already launched its 2018 cultivation program for hemp. In conjunction with Marijuana Company of America, the company is working on an industrial hemp project in New Brunswick, Canada. After promising results from the 2017 season, the two companies are planting a minimum of 125 acres of hemp in 2018, with plans to increase that over the following three years, to more than 1,000 acres.

A recent update shows how committed the partners are. The joint venture team will be strengthened by the addition of Joan Parker-Duivenvoorden as project agrologist and field manager. Parker-Duivenvoorden, a graduate of Guelph University, earned a BSc (Agr) majoring in plant protection in 1981. She has garnered over 15 years’ experience with the Nova Scotia Dept. of Agriculture and the New Brunswick Soil and Crop Improvement Association (NBSCIA).

A second collaboration between the partners is also underway. In May 2018, the two companies acquired a 109-acre agricultural property in the fertile Willamette Valley, approximately 70 miles south of Portland, Oregon, to grow CBD-rich hemp. The project includes five greenhouses that are being installed, extending more than 19,000 square feet. The partners have brought together a team of experts in genetics development, clone management and large-scale project and farming operations to develop this project. Cultivation in 2018 will start with 35 acres and expand to all farmable acreage in the coming year.

Continuing its drive to build a portfolio of hemp-based companies, Global Hemp Group has acquired an interest in Cash Crop Today Media, LLC (“CCT”), a global media company focused on the industrial hemp and cannabis sectors and the owner of CashCropToday.com. Global Hemp Group will pay $150,000 for its 50 percent interest in CCT, made up of $60,000 in cash and the issuance of 600,000 common shares of GHG, valued at $90,000 (http://ibn.fm/nUVXz).

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.GlobalHempGroup.com

• After Utah passed law H.B. 302, REFG acquired land to grow hemp, will seek license as part of Utah’s Department of Agriculture and Food licensing program
• Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, says company has entered the cultivation and extraction space in Utah to grow hemp as part of state-sanctioned system
• REFG is a first tier merchant processor; its Green is an integrated gateway that is FinCEN compliant and creates a cashless environment for licensed cannabis providers

Medical Cannabis Payment Solutions Inc. (OTC: REFG) has acquired 40 acres of land to grow hemp in Utah and plans to seek a state license under its recently passed law H.B. 302. The license will enable the company to grow industrial hemp as part of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Food licensing program (http://ibn.fm/X5g3q).

The purchase of acreage on which to grow hemp, under state license, represents an additional revenue stream for REFG. The company’s acquisition of SpeedyGrow in May 2018, a Wyoming-based firm licensed to grow and process hemp in Colorado, was an expansion of REFG’s footprint in the state-sanctioned cannabis space (http://ibn.fm/sFMvr). By acquiring land and applying for a state license in Utah, REFG is reinforcing its additional revenue stream for its investors.

REFG is a Cheyenne, Wyoming-based company that offers both licensed dispensaries and retail merchant clients Green, a financial processing system that creates a cashless digital world of banking. It offers cannabis merchants online signup, and it is fully FinCEN compliant and a top tier level one payment processor.

Utah’s legislature this year passed S.B. 130, the Cannabidiol Product Act, which sanctions the cultivation, production and possession of hemp. It also authorizes the sale and use of cannabidiol products (http://ibn.fm/eiyYq).

In a news release, Jeremy Roberts, CEO of REFG, said, “We have already purchased 40 acres in anticipation of acquiring a license to grow hemp as part of Utah’s state-sanctioned system. With the acquisition of SpeedyGrow, we have now also entered the cultivation and extraction space. This will be the company’s second license and facility.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Take.Green

About QualityStocks

QualityStocks is committed to connecting subscribers with companies that have huge potential to succeed in the short and long-term future. It is part of our mission statement to help the investment community discover emerging companies that offer excellent growth potential. We offer several ways for investors to learn more about investing in these companies as well as find and evaluate them.

QualityStocks (QS)
Scottsdale, Arizona
www.QualityStocks.com
480.374.1336 Office
Editor@QualityStocks.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the QualityStocks website applicable to all content provided by QS, wherever published or re-republished: http://www.qualitystocks.net/disclaimer.php

• Non-psychoactive hemp’s varied uses comprise $500 million-plus industry with billion-dollar reach
• JV binds partners in growing New Brunswick and Oregon hemp cultivation projects
• Support increasing for U.S. Congressional drive to legalize hemp

Hemp advocates at Marijuana Company of America, Inc. (OTC: MCOA) are advancing cultivation projects that will give the company a significant supply of non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD) for market under the hempSMART and BeniHemp brands. The wholly owned hempSMART subsidiary strategically works to build share value through the distribution of CBD-based health and wellness products via a network marketing model, and BeniHemp offers hemp-derived CBD products to consumer retail markets.

Marijuana Company of America’s development relies significantly on its joint venture with Global Hemp Group, Inc. (CSE: GHG) (FRANKFURT: GHG) (OTC: GBHPF). Both companies were founded by company officers Don Steinberg and Charles Larsen, and they are collaborating on farming projects in New Brunswick, Canada, and Oregon. As Canada builds toward full nationwide legalization of cannabis in its various uses later this year (http://ibn.fm/u8KzM), MCOA is growing a hemp crop at a 125-acre site in New Brunswick, Canada. Farmers began seeding the crop in mid-May as part of an effort to reintroduce hemp cultivation to the region that began last year.

The company has secured a 4,000-square-foot facility that will be used to store the plants and to hold drying equipment that will process the fresh plants. Once they are dried, the plants will be stored until third-party partners acquire them for further processing. MCOA anticipates that the facility may also become a distribution center once the necessary licenses for shipping finished hemp CBD products have been obtained.

The partners announced in May that they had hired full-time project agrologist and field manager Joan Parker-Duivenvoorden to oversee the project and serve in a training and advisory capacity for the pool of farmers growing the crop, which is expected to increase from four to at least 50 in the coming years (http://ibn.fm/S9MRf).

The partners are simultaneously developing the Scio, Oregon, hemp cultivation project, with its higher-yielding cultivars on 35 acres, with five greenhouses providing additional support for indoor growing as the companies strive to make the farm operational year-round. A year-round farming project would provide a steady stream of revenue that’s not subject to the seasonal fluctuations of outdoor hemp cultivation. The company said that it expected to have four of the greenhouses being installed by the end of May, which would total 19,296 square feet of active indoor cultivation space between them (http://ibn.fm/zocuY).

While cannabis byproducts generally remain illegal nationally in the United States, a majority of the states’ lawmakers have granted varying degrees of legal recognition, and an updated Hemp Farming Act that would remove non-intoxicating hemp from the Drug Enforcement Administration’s listing of controlled substances is gaining a growing list of congressional sponsors — nearing a potential majority in the Senate, at least (http://ibn.fm/xCU6p).

“Garden operations are well underway at the farm. … In order to maximize planting density, an additional 20,000 high yielding CBD hemp clones are being purchased and will be delivered before the end of May to meet the targeted planting schedule of early June,” a May 15 news release stated (http://ibn.fm/nnqzS).

Research analyst company Hemp Business Journal expects the CBD market to reach $2.1 billion in the next few years, but hemp is a versatile plant with numerous potential uses benefitting the paper, textiles, rope and building materials markets. The Hemp Industries Association reported the yearly revenue from hemp products in 2016, before legalization efforts gained steam, at $573 million in the United States alone (http://ibn.fm/xkrXN), including retail and manufacturing goods as well as CBD wellness products.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.MarijuanaCompanyofAmerica.com

• Helium demand is on the rise, placing pure-play helium producers in enviable position
• Company strategically positioned to bridge the helium supply gap
• Chairman David Sidoo is a key player in the company’s success, with a wealth of experience and a personal dedication to making the world a better place

The world is experiencing a helium supply shortage, and it is in need of pure-play helium producers. Medical industries need this critical component for cryogenics in MRI machines, and tech companies like Google and Netflix are integrating the resource into their own key initiatives. American Helium Inc. (TSX.V: AHE) (OTCQB: AHELF) is a junior energy company specializing in exploring for and developing helium assets in the United States. Led by Chairman David Sidoo, the company is working hard to fill the gap between supply and demand in the helium industry. Global demand for helium has risen by 10 percent per year over the past decade. The current supply of 5.4 billion cubic feet does not reach the eight billion cubic feet demand. If this trend continues, it is projected that the value of the helium market could exceed $1.5 billion by 2020 (http://ibn.fm/Xg8Cf). For companies like AHELF, this is good news.

American Helium is positioned to bridge the supply gap with its estimated 7.85 billion square feet of helium reserves in Utah. “The U.S. remains the heaviest user of helium worldwide and the incentives to discover new domestic helium reserves remain strong” Chairman David Sidoo, a 20-year veteran in the oil and gas industry and founding shareholder of American Oil & Gas Inc., stated in a news release.

David Sidoo brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the company. He is based in Vancouver, where he oversees a successful private investment banking and financial management firm. Sidoo was ranked in the top five nationally during his time as partner and advisory board member at Yorkton Securities, and he was voted one of the top 100 South Asians making a difference in British Columbia.

Sidoo is a rags-to-riches story that began in a large family and a tough neighborhood in New Westminster. He played football at the University of British Columbia while working two part time jobs to afford school when his father died suddenly of a heart attack. The coaches wouldn’t let him leave. With their help, David was able to secure scholarships and get a better job before graduating with a BA in physical education and a minor in business. He became the captain of UBC’s first ever football national championship team. After graduating from UBC, he became the first Indo-Canadian drafted into the Canadian Football League, where he played five seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and a short stint with the BC Lions.

He redirected that fame and drive into a successful career as an entrepreneur. Sidoo is now using that success to give back to his community in big ways (http://ibn.fm/QAElw). He was awarded the 2016 Order of British Columbia for his ability to use his talents toward making a difference in Canada and around the world. He was also presented the prestigious WAC Bennet Award from the BC Sports Hall of Fame for his commitment to giving back. That same dedication and passion that he directs into his community is also directed into the advancement and success of American Helium Inc.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Amerihelium.com

• Electric buses predicted to overtake electric cars in popularity, reaching over 80 percent market share
• Demand for lithium is surging and is set to grow further
• Irgon Lithium Mine in Manitoba closed half a century ago when lithium prices were low

As the electric vehicle market sparks a worldwide scramble for lithium, QMC Quantum Minerals Corp. (OTC: QMCQF) (TSX.V: QMC) (FSE: 3LQ) is optimistic about the potentially large resources to which it holds access.

The British Columbia-based company is exploring the reserves at its Irgon Lithium Mine Project in Manitoba, a mine that was mothballed by previous owners despite its estimated 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide, since the very low lithium price at the time ($11-12/short ton in 1955) meant that the project was not an attractive investment. Over half a century later, the mine’s prospects couldn’t be any more different. Rising demand for lithium has raised the potential for QMC’s Irgon Lithium Mine to be a lucrative project.

The International Energy Agency reported in May that there are now over three million electric vehicles on the road, and the number is predicted to grow exponentially (http://ibn.fm/Ywxx6). In addition, industry experts believe that the use of electric buses will overtake even the high-predicted numbers of electric cars. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reports that, by 2030, 84 percent of buses worldwide will be electric, as compared with 28 percent of cars (http://ibn.fm/cdAGI). Additionally, Bloomberg analysts expect electric vehicles to account for 55 percent of the overall light-duty vehicle sales in 2040 and represent 33 percent of the total car fleet worldwide.

These predictions point to an all-but-guaranteed market for lithium, a key component of the batteries that power electric vehicles. Lithium prices have tripled over the last three years, and they are expected to triple again within the next decade. The development and uptake of electric vehicles is driving this surging price trajectory, and the global hunt is on to find commercially viable, high-grade lithium (http://ibn.fm/MrtFx).

In addition to its growing use in batteries, lithium is widely used in the production of glass and ceramics, lubricating grease and rocket propellants. Lithium has also been used for many years as a component in medicines to treat a number of illnesses, including bipolar disorder, depression, schizophrenia, anorexia and bulimia.

A significant amount of preparatory work was carried out at QMC’s Irgon Lithium Mine in the 1950s. The previous owners, Lithium Corporation of Canada Limited, analyzed samples and estimated that the site has about 1.2 million tons of lithium oxide. QMC views this as a historic, non-NI43-101 compliant resource, and the company is currently in the process of bringing into compliance with current NI43-101 standards. QMC’s plans include continued exploration in order to give a fresh estimate of the resources, based on these current standards. The Irgon Lithium Mine is located in Manitoba in a well-established and productive mining region, which has the necessary logistics and infrastructure in place to facilitate the exploitation of lithium and other precious metal resources.

In addition to Irgon Mine, QMC is exploring other mineral deposits in its Namew Lake District project. The 57,000-acre project is in close proximity to sites that are currently producing copper, zinc, gold, silver, nickel, palladium and platinum. The Namew Lake District project is located close to good transport links and is accessible throughout the year.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.QMCMinerals.com

• QuadSight™ multi-spectral automotive vision system detects close to 100 percent of obstacles
• System uses four cameras to detect obstacles in all lighting and weather conditions
• Foresight expects QuadSight™ to be commercialized next year
• Insurance industry evidence shows that driver-assistance technology reduces vehicle crashes, injuries and deaths

With recent fatal accidents fresh in the public mind involving cars equipped with driver-assistance technology, Foresight Autonomous Holdings Ltd. (NASDAQ: FRSX) (TASE: FRSX) is pressing on with a unique obstacle-detection vision system that raises the safety standard higher than ever.

In an audio press release on May 24 (http://ibn.fm/5LW5D), Foresight said that its QuadSight™ system promises key advantages over other detection systems currently at various stages of development for use in self-driving cars. In tests, QuadSight’s™ sensors achieved close to 100 percent detection of obstacles. Foresight expects to commercialize the system next year.

QuadSight™ works by using input from four cameras, two of which function on the infrared spectrum and two in visible light. The images from the cameras are then interpreted by advanced vision-processing algorithms that have been successfully used all over the world for almost 20 years by Foresight’s main shareholder, homeland security technology firm Magna BSP Ltd. This combination of infrared and visible light spectrum input means that QuadSight™ detects obstacles whatever the weather and at any time of day or night.

Quoted in the press release, Foresight CEO Haim Siboni said, “Vision is the foundation of passenger safety, and vision perfection under all weather and lighting conditions is clearly the breakthrough that vehicle makers need to build consumer confidence in order to accelerate autonomous vehicle adoption.”

With industry specialists and legislators fully expecting self-drive cars to be part of the near future of motoring (http://ibn.fm/U5fjI), Foresight has been working since 2015 to develop vision sensor technologies that will work in a timely and accurate manner.

Besides QuadSight™, the Israel-based company has also developed Eyes-On™, an advanced driver assistance technology that, in addition to detecting hazards like pedestrians, animals and other vehicles, also warns motorists when they stray out of their lanes. Foresight is also behind Eye-Net™, a cellular-based app that alerts pedestrians and vehicles of collision dangers from road users outside their field of vision, such as objects approaching around the corner.

Driver-assisted technologies have proven to drastically reduce motor vehicle accidents, deaths and injuries. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety website, crash avoidance features using some of the same sensing and control technologies that underpin automation are already proving effective. Features such as automatic braking, blind spot detection, lane departure warning and electronic stability control have shown potential to prevent crashes (http://ibn.fm/g1EQQ).

Early this year, a survey by the American Automobile Association (AAA) found that consumers are growing more positive toward driverless vehicles (http://ibn.fm/r2qKL). According to the AAA, this rising consumer confidence could be the result of drivers learning more about self-driving vehicle technology and themselves using driver assistance technology.

With QuadSight™, Eyes-On™ and Eye-Net™, Foresight is perfecting a highly promising line of automotive vision systems that will further increase the safety and dependability of driver assistance and automated vehicle technology, positioning the company for sustained growth as a worthwhile investment opportunity in this fast-growing market.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ForesightAuto.com

• Over the last three weeks, leaders from ETST have attended four cannabis expos in Canada and the U.S.
• Events included the Lift and Co. Expo, which is the biggest cannabis expo in Canada, as well as three cannabis expos in the U.S.
• Events increased brand awareness and new contacts within the medical and recreational cannabis industries

Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTC: ETST) is a Florida-based biotech company focused on cannabidiol (CBD), nutraceutical and pharmaceutical fields, as well as medical devices and associated research and development. Over the past three weeks, ETST has been networking and spreading brand awareness across four cannabis expos held in Canada and the United States, including the Toronto Lift & Co. Expo, CannXperience, the Florida Medical Cannabis Conference & Exhibition and the Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo. These events have allowed them to meet leaders in the medical and recreational cannabis industries, along with visionary lenders who are active in financing cannabis industry growth.

The Lift & Co. Expos in Toronto and Vancouver are must-attend events for anyone working in cannabis, or looking to get involved in the space. It is Canada’s biggest event for cannabis consumers, industry professionals, investors and media. ETST CEO and CSO Dr. Michel Aubé attended this premier event and had the opportunity to network with key individuals in the industry, making important contacts that he plans to pursue in the coming months.

ETST president and Director Nickolas S. Tabraue attended the Cannabis World Congress & Business Expo. The company sponsored this national level business-to-business cannabis event to help spread brand awareness. Closer to home, the company sponsored and attended CannXperience and the Florida Medical Cannabis Conference & Exhibition. Both involved Florida’s medical cannabis industry. COO Gagan Hunter attended both events, manning the company-sponsored booth, handing out samples and information and representing ETST in a 15-minute speech presentation. During his time, Hunter was able to connect with doctors, potential investors and synergistic companies.

Overall, the Canada and U.S. expos were positive experiences providing increased brand awareness and offering an opportunity to learn more about the industry and meet additional leaders in the cannabis industry. “Thanks to our passionate and like-minded team, we are now able to participate in beneficial cannabis industry events to spread awareness and network,” Tabraue said in a news release. “A lot was achieved by sponsoring and attending the four events during the past three weeks, leaving a strong footprint in the cannabis industry. We look forward on attending more events to come and sharing many exciting updates very soon.”

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.EarthScienceTech.com

• Petroteq set to begin production in weeks, reaching 1,000 barrels per day in Utah in the third quarter of this year
• Utah mineral lease expected to yield about 86 million barrels of oil equivalent over its lifetime
• Company president foresees significant profit pathway as oil costs approach $80 per barrel

Oil and gas industry technology developer Petroteq Energy Inc. (TSX.V: PQE) (OTCQX: PQEFF) is fueling rising expectations regarding its resource potential as its oil sands extraction project in Utah continues to evolve.

Petroteq announced at the beginning of the month that it is on track to initiate operations prior to the end of the second quarter of 2018, and the full financial benefit of 1000 bbl/d production is on track to be realized in the second half of 2018.  The company has been testing its extraction process to increase North American production on a 3,000-acre bituminous mineral lease that’s expected to yield about 86 million barrels of oil equivalent.

“Petroteq’s project is going exceedingly well, notwithstanding minor logistical issues have created a slight schedule push the facility should be in full commissioning and start-up operations in the second and third week of June,” Petroteq CEO David Sealock stated in a news release about the process (http://ibn.fm/f8J62). “This is a momentous event in the evolution of Petroteq as a Company. I am also extremely pleased with the vendor partnerships Petroteq has with the oil field construction and service companies we have on site, and their efforts are greatly appreciated.  The pre-operations site inspection by the Utah Division of Oil, Gas & Mining was extremely helpful, and the knowledge and acumen of the inspection team provided some tangible benefits to our current and future operations.”

Petroteq has been developing its United States and Canada-patented technology at the Asphalt Ridge site with the aim of finalizing a process that boosts North American oil production through the distillation of oil-rich sands. The emphasis on environmental impact has created a process that is cost effective, produces no greenhouse gases and leaves no waste once the “cleaned up” sands are returned to the ground and the proprietary solvent solution involved in the extraction is recycled. Utah contains about 55 percent of the total oil sands deposits in America, and Petroteq plans to add to its Asphalt Ridge operation with construction of a new plant on its Temple Mountain lease next year.

While commercial production will initially begin with 1,000 barrels of oil per day, the company has a goal of 3,000 barrels per day by 2020. President R. Gerald Bailey told Fox Business that he anticipates the current trend in rising petroleum prices could lead to $80 per barrel figures this year and perhaps reach $100 per barrel in the near future, allowing the company to deliver a significant profit from its $25 – $30 per barrel reclamation process (http://ibn.fm/MLKsF). “It’ll make money and it’s good for the country,” Bailey said in the inteview.

Petroteq is completing the final stages of facility construction activities at Asphalt Ridge, and it is completing the final topography survey and mining plan for the mining site operations. It is also preparing its operations and mining teams to receive all required certifications and training, as the handoff of equipment processes to the commissioning and start-up team takes place.

The company also has a joint venture with Recruiter.com and Oilprice.com to provide job placement and industry career services that focus on the increasingly specialized needs of the energy sector, and the company has a minority stake in exploration for heavy oil reserves in southwest Texas through Accord GR Energy Inc.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Petroteq.energy

• Automakers signing deals to secure future lithium supply
• At present, most lithium comes from costly “hard rock” sources
• Lithium Chile offers low cost output from salars and lagunas
• Company holds largest privately owned lithium claims in Chile

As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues to expand, battery manufacturers and automakers are attempting to assuage their anxiety about future supplies of lithium by signing long-term contracts. In June, Tesla declared that it had struck a deal with Kidman Resources of Australia. Meanwhile, Volkswagen already has agreements in place, to the tune of 40 billion euros ($48 billion), to purchase lithium batteries. However, the lithium referenced in these contracts is still buried in the ground or swimming in salars, and it won’t be available for many, many months. Kidman, for one, does not expect its processing plant to come on line until 2021. The concerns about future supply are likely to spark similar deals, driving nervous suitors to court lithium miners. If so, Lithium Chile Inc. (TSX.V: LITH) (OTC: LTMCF) stands ready. The company’s properties, ranging over 152,900 hectares, are the largest privately owned lithium claims in Chile. Remarkably, although acquired at low cost (0.2% of current market prices), they have proven to be of high quality (1,000 mg/liter), a combination that is likely to attract many overtures.

There’s no doubt that the dearth of lithium stock is causing concern. Tesla’s deal, ‘which is for an initial three-year term on a “fixed-price take-or-pay basis” from the first product delivery, features two three-year term options’ (http://ibn.fm/UEgyx). The poster child of the EV industry is making sure that planned production of 5,000 vehicles a week does not stall for want of lithium. Volkswagen’s angst is on a much larger scale. Every week, the German giant makes about twice as many cars as Tesla does in a year, which is why it has spent 40 billion euros ($48 billion), most of it within the last year, on supply contracts. In 2017, German automaker announced plans ‘to spend up to 70 billion euros (~$84 billion USD) in order to bring 300 electric vehicle models to market by 2030… most of the investment 50 billion euros (~$60 billion) will be in battery production’ (http://ibn.fm/HavvK). These developments show that reports of a lithium oversupply, a la Morgan Stanley, appear to have been greatly exaggerated, and, as the Tesla deal indicates, agreements may be signed far in advance of initial production dates.

Despite Australia’s dominance as a producer, there’s no better place than Chile for lithium production. Australian lithium is mined from ‘hard rock’ spodumene by a process than is about three times as costly as Chilean production from salars. Brine production costs in Chile are about $1,500-$1,800 per ton, while hard rock mining costs $5,000 per ton. Adding to this general cost advantage is one that is peculiar to Lithium Chile. The company was able to acquire its claims at very low cost before interest in lithium intensified. Acquisition price averaged $3 per hectare, a steal of a deal compared to current prices of $1,500 per hectare. Lithium Chile now has the largest land package, extending over about 140,000 hectares (540 square miles), acquired at very low cost, of any private lithium miner.

Lithium Chile’s claims extend over 14 salars (mineral salt flats), as well as one laguna complex (inland salt lakes). Its portfolio includes 66 square kilometers (25.5 square miles) on Chile’s largest mineral salt flat, the Salar de Atacama, which has some of the world’s highest concentrations of lithium brines. At present, Lithium Chile is focused on its projects at Atacama, Coipasa, Helados, Ollague Turi and Talar, because they promise ease of recovery, as well as high-grade salts. At the 2,200 hectare Ollague, for example, the water table is just 40-50 cm deep, and samples of 1,400 mg per liter of lithium have been obtained. Overall, the company is getting some of the highest sample grades recorded in Chile, with grades of 1,000 mg per liter of lithium reported consistently.  This compares very favorably with production grade lithium in the U.S., which is typically just 190-200 mg per liter of lithium.

Lithium Chile is now quoted on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol LTMCF. Being listed on the OTCQB gives Lithium Chile access to a diverse network of broker dealers that provide liquidity and execution services. In addition, the company has been made eligible for Depository Trust Company electronic settlement and transfer of its common shares in the United States.

For more information, visit the company’s website at http://ibn.fm/LTMCF