It has added copper, potash, and silicon to a draft update released this week. 

●The U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has emphasized these designations can unlock federal funding, speed up permitting processes, and bolster the competitiveness of domestic projects

●The U.S. Geological Survey has introduced a refined approach to assessing supply-chain risk, modelling over 1,200 disruption scenarios across 84 mineral commodities and 402 U.S. industries

U.S. Geological Survey Director, Sarah Ryker: “Minerals-based industries contributed over US$4 trillion to the economy in 2024, and with this methodology we can pinpoint which industries may feel the greatest impacts of supply disruptions.”
Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association: “We welcome the additions, as they are essential to everything from rebuilding and modernizing the nation’s infrastructure to supporting our national security.”
The update, mandated under the Energy Act of 2020, is revised every three years and underpins U.S. strategy to secure domestic supplies of materials essential for energy, defence, and advanced manufacturing.
The draft list now includes 54 minerals, up from 50 in 2022. Six minerals have been proposed for addition - copper, silicon, potash, silver, lead, and rhenium - while two, tellurium and arsenic, have been removed following new assessments of supply risk and economic importance. The 2025 draft update highlights Washington’s sharpened focus on materials critical not only to high-tech applications like semiconductors and batteries, but also to industrial staples that are now recognized as supply chain vulnerabilities.
The removal of tellurium and arsenic suggests the U.S. now assesses supply risks for those minerals as less acute, though they remain important in specialized applications. Meanwhile, the addition of six diverse minerals reflects the government’s broadened approach - recognizing not only exotic rare earths and battery metals but also more common industrial materials that underpin energy and food security.
The draft list is subject to public comment before being finalized later this year. Once confirmed, it will guide U.S. policy on mineral supply chains, directing research, funding, and permitting support.
This 2025 update underscores a strategic pivot: acknowledging that industrial and agricultural staples, not just high-tech rarities, are vital to economic and national security. Copper, potash, and silicon are no longer mere commodities, they’re foundational to America’s energy, agricultural, and technological resilience.