Overview
- The Interior Department and U.S. Geological Survey released the final 2025 list with 10 additions, including copper, metallurgical coal, silver, potash, rhenium, silicon, lead, and uranium, bringing the total to 60.
- Officials say the list guides federal investments, permitting, national stockpiling, research priorities, and which projects qualify for incentives tied to strategic materials policy.
- The administration casts the expansion as a push to strengthen domestic output and reduce import dependence, noting China’s dominance in refining many critical minerals.
- Copper’s designation reflects its role in electric vehicles, power grids, electronics, and data centers, and Freeport-McMoRan has said it could secure more than $500 million annually in Inflation Reduction Act tax credits with the label.
- Including metallurgical coal, used to make steel, is expected to face environmental pushback, and the Energy Act of 2020 mandates updating the list at least every three years with public and interagency input.