NEWS RELEASES
Interior Dept. Publishes 35 Minerals Essential to Economic & National Security
Editor's Note: This news item was retrieved and first published through USGS's website.
The Department of the Interior recently published a list of 35 essential mineral commodities considered critical to the economic and national security of the United States. At the direction of Secretary Zinke, on February 16, 2018, Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) published a draft list of 35 critical minerals under Executive Order 13817. "The expertise of the USGS is absolutely vital to reducing America’s vulnerability to disruptions in our supply of critical minerals,” said Dr. Tim Petty, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science.
According to the press release by the USGS, "The list includes aluminum—used in almost all sectors of the economy; the platinum group metals—used for catalytic agents; rare-earth elements—used in batteries and electronics; tin—used as protective coatings and alloys for steel; and titanium—overwhelmingly used as a white pigment or as a metal alloy." Under the Executive Order, the Commerce Department is responsible for organizing the interagency responses into a final report which is due Aug. 16, 2018, to the President. This report will include analyses and strategies to strengthen and sustain the supply chains for all minerals, and analyses and strategies targeted to minerals deemed critical based on this 2018 analysis. A report summarizing the methodology for compiling the list and background information can be found at the link below.
A complete list of the 35 essential minerals can be found here at USGS's website.