Released March 24, 2025 | SUGAR LAND
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Written by Paul Wiseman for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday invoking the Defense Production Act to promote the domestic production of critical infrastructure minerals, saying U.S. mineral resources "can create jobs, fuel prosperity, and significantly reduce our reliance on foreign nations."
Targeted minerals include uranium, copper, potash, gold and any other element, compound or material as determined by the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC). Coal might be included in the "any other element" category, according to a spokesperson.
As the administration in recent weeks has tried to work a "minerals-for-munitions" deal with ore-rich Ukraine, Industrial Info's Vice President of Research for Metals & Minerals Joe Govreau has suggested that developing domestic reserves would create more supply chain security, and would likely be more cost effective. He added, "This is all good news for the domestic mining industry, which has been stifled in recent years with lengthy permitting and regulatory requirements. I've seen some projects take 15 to 20 years to permit."
The Ukraine minerals deal seems to still be on the table. At a Thursday White House event, Trump said, "We're doing very well with regard to Ukraine and Russia. And one of the things we are doing is signing a deal very shortly with respect to rare earths with Ukraine." Just a day or so before the president had indicated that he had "moved on" from the deal, so it will be interesting to see where that situation lands in the next few days.
The critical minerals order sets 10-day deadlines for heads of agencies tasked with permitting mineral production to give the NEDC chair a list of all minerals for which the agency has received a plan of operations or other permitting requests. Within 10 more days, those agency chairs will work with the NEDC chair to prioritize the most important ones and to expedite processing of those.
There are also to be investigations into solving any perceived permitting bottlenecks to getting those permits.
The secretary of the interior is also tasked with providing information regarding which minerals are known to be under the surface of federal lands. There is also a provision to streamline the process for obtaining federal loans for such projects.
For uranium, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the U.S. imported 99% of its supplies in 2023. Nuclear plants imported 32 million pounds of imported uranium concentrate, and used just 0.05 million pounds of domestically produced concentrate.
Congress has already moved to begin changes in that imbalance, providing the Department of Energy (DOE) $2.7 billion to help revive domestic fuel production for commercial nuclear power plants, the EIA reported.
Potash, a significant ingredient in fertilizers, saw 91% imported in 2023. U.S. potash primarily comes from New Mexico and Utah, with some found in Michigan.
In 2022, President Joe Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act to authorize the Department of Defense "to invest in advanced microelectronics capacity and ensure the production of state-of-the-art integrated circuits in the United States" for printed circuit boards. Biden invoked the act to strengthen the U.S. domestic industrial base for large-capacity batteries used in the automotive, e-mobility and stationary storage sectors.
On another occasion in 2022, Biden invoked the act to promote the production of energy transition items including solar panels, heat pumps and more--an order that Trump rescinded on Thursday. Trump said his order was "necessary to advance the policy of the United States to restore common sense to the federal government and unleash the potential of American citizens."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
Targeted minerals include uranium, copper, potash, gold and any other element, compound or material as determined by the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC). Coal might be included in the "any other element" category, according to a spokesperson.
As the administration in recent weeks has tried to work a "minerals-for-munitions" deal with ore-rich Ukraine, Industrial Info's Vice President of Research for Metals & Minerals Joe Govreau has suggested that developing domestic reserves would create more supply chain security, and would likely be more cost effective. He added, "This is all good news for the domestic mining industry, which has been stifled in recent years with lengthy permitting and regulatory requirements. I've seen some projects take 15 to 20 years to permit."
The Ukraine minerals deal seems to still be on the table. At a Thursday White House event, Trump said, "We're doing very well with regard to Ukraine and Russia. And one of the things we are doing is signing a deal very shortly with respect to rare earths with Ukraine." Just a day or so before the president had indicated that he had "moved on" from the deal, so it will be interesting to see where that situation lands in the next few days.
The critical minerals order sets 10-day deadlines for heads of agencies tasked with permitting mineral production to give the NEDC chair a list of all minerals for which the agency has received a plan of operations or other permitting requests. Within 10 more days, those agency chairs will work with the NEDC chair to prioritize the most important ones and to expedite processing of those.
There are also to be investigations into solving any perceived permitting bottlenecks to getting those permits.
The secretary of the interior is also tasked with providing information regarding which minerals are known to be under the surface of federal lands. There is also a provision to streamline the process for obtaining federal loans for such projects.
For uranium, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reports that the U.S. imported 99% of its supplies in 2023. Nuclear plants imported 32 million pounds of imported uranium concentrate, and used just 0.05 million pounds of domestically produced concentrate.
Congress has already moved to begin changes in that imbalance, providing the Department of Energy (DOE) $2.7 billion to help revive domestic fuel production for commercial nuclear power plants, the EIA reported.
Potash, a significant ingredient in fertilizers, saw 91% imported in 2023. U.S. potash primarily comes from New Mexico and Utah, with some found in Michigan.
In 2022, President Joe Biden also invoked the Defense Production Act to authorize the Department of Defense "to invest in advanced microelectronics capacity and ensure the production of state-of-the-art integrated circuits in the United States" for printed circuit boards. Biden invoked the act to strengthen the U.S. domestic industrial base for large-capacity batteries used in the automotive, e-mobility and stationary storage sectors.
On another occasion in 2022, Biden invoked the act to promote the production of energy transition items including solar panels, heat pumps and more--an order that Trump rescinded on Thursday. Trump said his order was "necessary to advance the policy of the United States to restore common sense to the federal government and unleash the potential of American citizens."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).
