Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary | official facebook
The U.S. Department of the Interior, through the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), has released the final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. The list identifies 60 minerals considered essential to the United States’ economy and national security, highlighting those that could be affected by supply chain disruptions.
“In 2017, President Trump set a goal of first identifying and then securing the mineral resources needed to bolster America’s economy and national security. The 2025 List of Critical Minerals provides a clear, data-driven roadmap to reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, expand domestic production and unleash American innovation,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “By working with the mineral industry and state partners, we are ensuring that the minerals powering our energy, defense, and technology supply chains are mined and processed in the United States, which is becoming a mineral powerhouse once again.”
The USGS developed this year’s draft using updated methods to evaluate how potential disruptions could impact economic and security interests. Ten new minerals—boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium—were added based on new research findings as well as feedback from public comments and recommendations from other federal agencies.
“USGS mineral science is a national asset—and the Energy Act President Trump signed in 2020 directs us to incorporate expertise from the public and from agencies outside the Department of the Interior when developing this List,” said Andrea Travnicek, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science. “Industry, the public and other agencies including the Departments of Agriculture, Energy and War helped to ensure the 2025 List of Critical Minerals includes the minerals needed to protect the nation's food and energy supplies as well as defense and the economy as a whole.”
This is now the third such list published since an executive order in 2017 instructed federal agencies to improve mineral security efforts. Under current law—the Energy Act of 2020—the list must be reviewed at least every three years but will now be updated at least every two years to reflect changing circumstances.
The report emphasizes rare earth elements as especially important due to their role in products like smartphones and advanced defense systems. In 2024 alone, about 80% of these materials used in America were imported. Recent steps have included increased investment in domestic production as well as international partnerships with countries such as Australia, Japan, Malaysia, and Thailand. The USGS continues mapping possible new deposits within U.S. borders while advancing research into their extraction viability.
“This is the most comprehensive, science-based assessment yet of the minerals our nation relies on,” said Ned Mamula, USGS director. “Critical minerals underpin industries worth trillions of dollars, and import dependence puts key sectors at risk. This work helps secure the materials needed for U.S. economic growth and technological leadership.”
