On 18 May 2018, the U.S. Department of the Interior published its official list of 35 minerals considered critical to U.S. National Security and Economy.
Following the open consultation launched in February, a total of 453 comments were submitted and considered by the Department of the Interior who concluded in favour of the methodology used to draft the list and confirmed the 35 critical minerals originally identified.
The list will now be the focus of a multi-agency strategy which will have the objective of making the U.S. less reliant on minerals from other countries.
The report, expected on 16 August 2018, will focus on the following:
a strategy to reduce reliance on critical minerals
the status of recycling technologies
alternatives to critical minerals
options for accessing critical minerals through trade
a plan for improvements to mapping the United States and its mineral resources
recommendations to streamline lease permitting and review processes
ways to increase discovery, production, and domestic refining of critical minerals
The list will be updated when deemed necessary.
Read more here.