Before the end of the year, the US Geological Survey will publish a revised critical minerals list, which will shape defense strategy and stockpiling. The Energy Act of 2020 requires the Department of the Interior to revisit the list every three years, so the upcoming USGS list will be the first update since 2022.
This is a new list for a new administration; it will likely reflect the President’s aims and priorities. Already, President Trump’s executive orders indicate the direction of his critical mineral policy. An examination of possible additions to the USGS list will provide insights into a strategy that is becoming increasingly clear: more targeted interventions across a wider range of materials.
Many of these insights come from the Executive Order 14241, or Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. In this action, President Trump directed federal agencies to accelerate mineral production using changes in permitting, land usage, and emergency powers. He also ordered that several materials–copper, uranium, potash, and gold–be treated as critical minerals for the purpose of the order.
