Critical materialsU.S. seeks to boost domestic production of 35 critical minerals

Published 20 February 2018

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) last week announced it was seeking public comment by 19 March 2018 on a draft list of minerals considered critical to the economic and national security of the United States. The draft list of minerals that DOI published last week as critical to the United States includes thirty-five mineral commodities. A “critical mineral” is a mineral identified to be a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic and national security of the United States, the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption, and that serves an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economy or national security.

The U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) last week announced it was seeking public comment by 19 March 2018 on a draft list of minerals considered critical to the economic and national security of the United States. 

The White House directed the Secretary of the Interior, in coordination with other government departments and agencies, to publish a list of critical minerals in the Federal Register in Executive Order 13817, which was issued on 20 December 2017. Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey compiled the list—prepared with the Bureau of Land Management’s cooperation— and is seeking comments including the rationale for potential additions or subtractions.

“The work of the USGS is at the heart of our nation’s mission to reduce our vulnerability to disruptions in the supply of critical minerals,” said Dr. Tim Petty, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. “Any shortage of these resources constitutes a strategic vulnerability for the security and prosperity of the United States.”

The draft list of minerals that DOI published last week as critical to the United States includes thirty-five mineral commodities, such as aluminum — used in almost all sectors of the economy; the platinum group metals — used for catalytic agents; rare-earth elements — used in batteries and electronics; tin — used as protective coatings and alloys for steel; and titanium — overwhelmingly used as a white pigment or as a metal alloy. A full list of the 35 mineral commodities follows.

Under the Executive Order, a “critical mineral” is a mineral identified to be a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic and national security of the United States, the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption, and that serves an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economy or national security.