The Department of the Interior's U.S. Geological Survey is asking for public comment on a draft list of critical minerals that includes potash, an addition sought by the fertilizer industry.
The list is part of a report outlining a new model for assessing how critical mineral supply chain disruptions could hurt the U.S. economy and national security. The DOI updates the list every three years to prioritize critical mineral accessibility.
Phosphates, another mineral that The Fertilizer Institute and other groups have called critical, is not on the draft list. USGS said it was among the materials it studied but did not include.
According to a DOI news release, when finalized, the draft list will guide federal strategy, investment and permitting decisions to secure minerals critical to the nation's economy and security. The list includes 54 mineral commodities, 50 of which were included based on their economic and security importance.
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“President Trump has made clear that strengthening America’s economic and national security means securing the resources that fuel our way of life,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “This draft List of Critical Minerals provides a clear, science-based roadmap to reduce our dependence on foreign adversaries, expand domestic production and unleash American innovation.”
The U.S. relies heavily on critical mineral imports to provide raw materials for defense technologies, electronics and clean energy.
Comments are being accepted until Sept. 25.
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