Miningweb: US expands critical minerals list, adding Copper, Silver and Uranium

Key points:US adds copper, silver, uranium to critical minerals listList guides tariffs, trade, and domestic mining policiesFocus on reducing reliance on foreign mineral imports.Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox at 5:30am weekdays. Register here.Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here.If you prefer WhatsApp for updates, sign up to the BizNews channel here..By Jacob Lorinc.The US added copper, silver and uranium to a government list of critical minerals as the Trump administration broadens its scope of what commodities it deems vital to the American economy and national security.The updated US Geological Survey list adds 10 minerals to bring the total to 60, including metallurgical coal, potash, rhenium, silicon and lead, according to a US government site. It includes 15 rare earth elements. The list replaces a 2022 version.The USGS list dictates what commodities are included in the Trump administration’s Section 232 probe into processed critical minerals and derivative products announced mid-April, which could lead to tariffs and trade restrictions. President Donald Trump has made it a priority to bolster domestic supply of these minerals, arguing that an over-reliance on foreign supplies jeopardizes national security, infrastructure development and technological innovation.Rare earths, used in magnets for products including motor vehicles and fighter jets, have become a flashpoint in trade tensions between the US and China, with Trump pushing to encourage domestic mining of the material after President Xi Jinping threatened to curb exports. The list also informs direct investments in mining and resource recovery from mine waste, stockpiles, tax incentives for US mineral processing as well as streamlined mining permitting.The resource industry had been pushing for certain metals and minerals, like copper and potash, to be included on the list. Much of the potash used in the US is shipped from Canada, which accounts for roughly 80% of imports of the mineral. Copper imports, meanwhile, comprise almost half of total US consumption and come from countries including Chile, Peru and Canada. The bulk of global copper refining is done in China.Silver’s inclusion has been a concern for precious metals traders and manufacturers that rely on the material. Any tariffs on silver could wreak havoc on the metals markets because the US relies heavily on imports to meet domestic demand. Silver has wide industrial applications and is used in electronics, solar panels and medical devices..© 2025 Bloomberg L.P.

Miningweb: US expands critical minerals list, adding Copper, Silver and Uranium

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