The U.S. Department of the Interior has released a draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals, marking the most significant update since the list’s inception in 2018. Copper, potash, silicon, silver, rhenium, and lead are among the six proposed additions, reflecting Washington’s sharpened focus on securing the mineral resources that underpin the nation’s economy, energy transition, and technological competitiveness.
“President Trump has made clear that strengthening America’s economic and national security means securing the resources that fuel our way of life. This draft List of Critical Minerals provides a clear, science-based roadmap to reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, expand domestic production and unleash American innovation,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum.
The draft, published Monday and open for public comment for 30 days, leverages a new risk-based methodology to assess the potential impact of supply chain disruptions across 84 mineral commodities and 402 industries. Minerals-based industries contributed over $4 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2024, according to USGS acting director Sarah Ryker, underscoring the stakes of reliable access.
Copper’s inclusion follows sustained lobbying by industry leaders, who argue the metal’s role in electrification and defense makes it indispensable.
“Recognizing copper as critical is good for America because it secures the foundation of its competitiveness and energy transition,” said Juan Ignacio Diaz, head of the International Copper Association. Silicon and potash join the list as supply risks—trade barriers for potash, and single points of failure in silicon—have come into sharper relief amid shifting global trade dynamics.
The Trump administration has made revival of domestic metals and minerals production a priority, with executive orders this year directing the Interior Department to consider adding metallurgical coal and uranium. Both are now under review, with public feedback welcomed.
Inclusion on the critical minerals list can unlock federal funding, streamline permitting, and bolster domestic production, while making projects more competitive against imported supplies. The list also guides direct investments in mining, resource recovery from mine waste, and tax incentives for U.S. mineral processing.
The methodology behind the 2025 draft uses probability-weighted modeling to forecast economic fallout from supply shocks. For example, a hypothetical restriction of rhodium imports from South Africa could cut U.S. GDP by $64 billion, though the probability of such a disruption is just 3.9%. The top ten minerals by estimated economic risk now include samarium, rhodium, lutetium, terbium, dysprosium, gallium, germanium, gadolinium, tungsten and niobium.
Arsenic and tellurium are recommended for removal, reflecting changes in global production and U.S. supply dynamics. The final list will be published after the public comment period, with policymakers and industry participants closely watching for signals that could reshape investment and trade flows in the minerals sector.
As the U.S. seeks to fortify its supply chains against geopolitical and economic shocks, the 2025 critical minerals list stands as a roadmap for strategic investment and risk mitigation—setting the stage for a new era in American resource policy.