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Diving summary:
- The U.S. Geological Survey has released its final 2025 list of 60 critical minerals that are critical to the U.S. economy and national security and are vulnerable to supply chain disruptions, according to a Nov. 7 Interior Department press release.
- The list adds 10 minerals to an earlier draft based on new data, public feedback and interagency recommendations, the release said. Added minerals include boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver and uranium.
- “The 2025 Critical Minerals Inventory provides a clear, data-driven roadmap to reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, expand domestic manufacturing, and unleash American innovation,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in the statement.
Diving Insights:
The 2025 list highlights rare earth elements, a subset of critical minerals that impose “the highest costs to the US economy” from supply disruptions, per release. Rare earths are critical for smartphones, hard drives, and advanced defense systems. Last year, the United States imported 80 percent of the rare earth elements it used.
“Critical minerals underpin trillions of dollars of industries, and dependence on imports puts key sectors at risk,” USGS Director Ned Mamola said in the statement.
U.S. trade rival China, which the USGS lists as the world’s top producer of essential minerals, has tightened export restrictions on rare earth goods and technology, adding to U.S. efforts to establish an independent supply chain. In late October, China agreed to suspend export controls on rare earths and resume issuing export licenses for essential minerals after a meeting between the leaders of the countries and other officials.
The listing is the third under a 2017 executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen U.S. mineral security, according to the release. The 2020 Energy Act requires the list to be updated at least every three years to reflect new data and changing supply conditions.
The list, last published in 2022, is “widely regarded by industry as the closest benchmark to a government-wide benchmark for identifying and addressing mineral supply risks.” Zubaidah OysulA senior policy analyst at the Center for Critical Minerals Strategy, created by the nonprofit America’s Future Energy Supply, said in a blog post.
China remains the main contributor to net GDP [gross domestic product] Losses for 32 of the 50 critical minerals added to the list based on economic impact modeling, Oysul said.
The U.S. move toward critical minerals independence includes deals with allies and proposed $1 billion in funding for projects that develop and expand mining, processing and production technologies across the critical minerals supply chain.
In October, the United States and Australia launched a multibillion-dollar plan to create a supply chain for critical minerals for military and domestic industries. The non-binding cooperation framework includes joint public and private investments in the extraction and processing of vital minerals. Australia is a major partner of the United States as it has more than 40 minerals identified as critical by the USGS.
Almost a week after the deal with Australia, the US and Japan signed a non-binding framework outlining a strategic plan for investments and policies focused on building networks for mining, ore separation and processing.
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