U.S. Interior Publishes List of 35 Critical Minerals

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The U.S. Department of the Interior on Friday published a final list of minerals deemed “critical to the economic and national security of the United States.”
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According to a United States Geological Survey (USGS) announcement, the list will be the “initial focus of a multi-agency strategy due in August this year to implement President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order to break America’s dependence on foreign minerals.”
Earlier this year, the Interior published a draft list of minerals and kicked off a window for public comment. After the public comment window closed — which saw submission of 453 comments — the Interior decided to finalize the original list.
“The expertise of the USGS is absolutely vital to reducing America’s vulnerability to disruptions in our supply of critical minerals,” said Dr. Tim Petty, assistant secretary of the Interior for Water and Science, in the prepared statement.
A Department of Commerce report is due to President Trump by Aug. 16. According to the USGS release, the report will include:

  • a strategy to reduce the nation’s reliance on critical minerals
  • the status of recycling technologies
  • alternatives to critical minerals
  • options for accessing critical minerals through trade with allies and partners
  • a plan for improvements to mapping the United States and its mineral resources
  • recommendations to streamline lease permitting and review processes,
  • ways to increase discovery, production, and domestic refining of critical minerals

The full list of minerals is as follows:

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