US adds copper, met coal to list of critical minerals

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The Trump administration on Thursday added 10 minerals to a list it deems essential to the U.S. economy and national security, including copper — vital to electric vehicles, power grids and data centers — and metallurgical coal, used to make coke for steel production.

The Department of the Interior’s critical minerals list allows for federal investment and decisions and helps shape the government’s broader minerals strategy.

The administration is expanding the list amid efforts to promote domestic mining and reduce dependence on imports, particularly from economic rival China.

List Guidelines Federal Incentives

The list serves as a blueprint for Washington’s push to secure supplies of materials needed for defense, manufacturing, and clean energy technologies. It determines which projects qualify for federal incentives, informs national stockpiling and research priorities, and signals to private investors where the government sees long-term strategic value.

Officials and industry leaders say strengthening domestic production could help the U.S. absorb potential supply shocks or export restrictions imposed by rivals such as China, which dominates global refining of many key minerals.

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the expanded list “provides a clear, data-driven road map for reducing our dependence on foreign adversaries, increasing domestic production and unleashing American innovation.”

The new list also includes uranium, which is enriched to fuel nuclear reactors, boron, lead, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon and silver.

Environmentalists criticized the move. Cameron Walkup of Earth Justice Action said the administration is ignoring economics, flouting the law and opening the door for agencies to rubber-stamp projects with inadequate protections for communities from pollution. “Instead of prioritizing corporate profits, we should focus on real solutions to meet the needs of our mineral supply chain by rapidly scaling the reuse and responsible recycling of critical minerals and updating our mining laws.”

Potash and phosphate are used as fertilizers to grow crops around the world. “These are two minerals where a stable supply is absolutely essential to fill our plates and feed our communities.”

Potash was included in an original 2018 list, but when it was updated in 2022, neither phosphate nor potash was included, the institute said.

US copper production less profitable

Copper is widely used in the global economy in power generation, electronics and construction.

Freeport-McMorran FCX. Ann, the largest U.S. copper producer with seven mines and control of one of the nation’s two smelters, said this year it could generate more than $500 million a year in tax credits tied to the 2022 U.S. Inflation Reduction Act if the red metal is criticized.

The Phoenix-based company was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

Freeport’s U.S. mines have a lower average grade, or percentage of copper, in rock deposits than elsewhere, driving up costs and making the U.S. the company’s least profitable region. That fact largely explains why Freeport pushed for the position.

“We’re not looking for handouts, but if the government is trying to promote domestic (copper) production, it’s important to recognize that the U.S. doesn’t have the same grades that we have internationally.”

Putting coal on the list aligns with President Donald Trump’s support for fossil fuels. Some coal mines that meet with the U.S. have been shut down in recent months amid a drop in exports to China, which has slapped an additional 15 percent tariff on U.S. coal imports this year.

Rich Nolan, president and CEO of the National Mining Association, said it would continue to expand the list to “make sure America needs them, when they need them.”