USGS Technical Input

Explore the 2025 List of Critical Minerals

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is a critical mineral?

The Energy Act of 2020 defined critical minerals as those commodities which are essential to the economic or national security of the U.S.; have a supply chain that is vulnerable to disruption; and serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the U.S. 

Who develops the List of Critical Minerals and how is it finalized?

Through the Energy Act of 2020 the Secretary of the Interior works in close coordination with USGS to develop the List of Critical Minerals. The Act specifies the role of the USGS in providing a science-based draft List of Critical Minerals.  The Act provides the Secretary of the Interior the authority to consider other factors beyond the technical analysis – including but not limited to the public comment process specified by the Act, as well as interagency review, specifically consultation with the Secretaries of Defense, Commerce, Agriculture, Health and Human Services and Energy and the United States Trade Representative.   Executive Order 14261 Reinvigorating America's Beautiful Clean Coal Industry and Amending Executive Order 14241(March 20, 2025) directed the Secretary to determine whether metallurgical coal used in the production of steel meets the criteria to be designated as a ‘critical mineral’ under the Energy Act of 2020 and, if so, take steps to place coal on the List of Critical Minerals. Additionally, Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy (January 20, 2025), directed the Secretary to instruct the USGS to consider updating the List of Critical Minerals, including for the potential of including uranium.  Uranium was included on the 2018 List of Critical Minerals but not on the 2022 update. 

Which mineral commodity supply chains were found to have the highest risk?

Several mineral commodities including rhodium, gallium, germanium, tungsten, niobium, magnesium metal, potash, and several rare earth elements (samarium, lutetium, terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, and yttrium) were determined to have the highest risk.

There are Executive Orders directing the consideration of minerals such as metallurgical coal and uranium as critical. How were these Executive Orders taken into consideration when finalizing the List? 

In response to the Executive Orders, the USGS provided the Secretary available data on the criticality of metallurgical coal and uranium. The Energy Act of 2020 states the Secretary can designate a critical mineral determined by another Federal agency to be strategic and critical to the defense or national security of the U.S. to the final List. During the interagency review period, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) expressed support for adding metallurgical coal and uranium to the final 2025 List. DOE cited uranium’s importance for electricity generation and national security, and the importance of metallurgical coal to domestic steel production and projections for steel production to grow.

Why were arsenic, tellurium, phosphate, and boron included on the final List?

The Energy Act of 2020 allows the Secretary to designate a critical mineral determined by another Federal agency to be strategic and critical to the defense or national security of the U.S. or to designate additional minerals, elements, substances or materials as critical minerals.  Through the interagency review process, the Department of War supported the continued inclusion of arsenic and tellurium (both of which were on the final 2018 and 2022 Lists) on the final List due to their importance in military applications. In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended the addition of phosphate as essential for U.S. agriculture.  Through the public comment process, representatives of the boron industry provided additional information, specifically that the U.S. does not manufacture enough of certain specialized boron-based products needed for national security and technology applications to meet its domestic needs, relying instead on imports from China and other countries.  

Has the U.S. made progress on mineral independence since the first List in 2018?

Mineral markets and supply chains have evolved since 2018 in response to changes in global production and consumption. For some critical mineral commodities, such as tellurium, recovered at the Kennecott copper mine at Bingham Canyon, Utah, and rare earth elements, mined and processed by MP Materials at Mountain Pass, California, domestic production has increased, or projects have advanced that could increase domestic production. There has also been progress in developing substitutes for critical minerals, being more efficient in the use of critical minerals, improving mineral processing technologies, and advancing opportunities for increased recycling of critical minerals, such as recovering lithium and other minerals used in lithium batteries. Advancements in the methodology for the 2025 List better capture risks posed to the U.S. mineral supply from insufficient domestic processing capacity.  

What do changes in the List from 2022 tell us about U.S. import reliance and supply chain vulnerability? 

Fifty of the 60 minerals on the 2025 List of Critical Minerals were also on the 2022 List. New data and the updated methodology have provided a more refined analysis of criticality. The updated methodology incorporates potential economic impacts of supply chain disruptions and examines over 1,200 potential disruption scenarios. Those refinements led to the USGS recommending the addition of ten minerals to the List. While the methodology and new data identified two minerals on the 2022 List (arsenic and tellurium) as no longer critically vulnerable to supply chain disruption, they have been retained on the latest List for another cycle of refreshed data and modeling.

When will the next List be issued?

The Energy Act requires the USGS to update the List of Critical Minerals at least every three years. However, mineral criticality changes over time and therefore this final 2025 List of Critical Minerals is not a permanent list but will be updated at least biannually to reflect current data on supply, demand, and concentration of production, as well as current policy priorities. 

Which mineral commodity supply chains were found to have the highest risk?

Several mineral commodities including rhodium, gallium, germanium, tungsten, niobium, magnesium metal, potash, and several rare earth elements (samarium, lutetium, terbium, dysprosium, gadolinium, and yttrium) were determined to have the highest risk.

Why is the USGS responsible for the development of the List of Critical Minerals?

The Energy Act of 2020 requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, to review, update, and publish the List of Critical Minerals and the methodology used to create it at least every three years. Moreover, the USGS has been assessing U.S. mineral resources and analyzing mineral production and needs since 1879. Today, the USGS collects the official statistics on the domestic and global production of, supply of, demand for, and trade of the minerals the U.S. needs.    

Where can I view public input on the List of Critical Minerals and how can I provide input on the List?

The 2025 draft List of Critical Minerals was released in the Federal Register for a 30-day public comment period. Comments received during the public comment period are public record and will remain viewable at regulations.gov by searching for docket number USGS-2025-0039; GX25GB00PAMR000.

Why does the List of Critical Minerals need to be updated?

The Energy Act of 2020 requires the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, to review, update, and publish the List of Critical Minerals and the methodology used to create it at least every three years. Moreover, mineral commodity supply chains change over time. This analysis represents the most recent available data for mineral commodities and the current state of the methodology for evaluation of supply risk.

Why is this 2025 draft List different from the 2022 List?

Mineral commodity supply chains, markets, and risks evolve over time. The 2025 List uses recent annual data and replaces the previous methodology. The 2025 methodology also assesses economic effects of a foreign supply chain disruption on the U.S. economy.

Why was the methodology changed?

The USGS continuously looks for ways of improving commodity assessments. By developing new tools and methods and by gathering new and more comprehensive data, USGS can better capture the risks associated with mineral commodity supply chain disruptions. The 2025 economic assessment also allows for direct comparison of mineral commodity supply risks, other economic risks and priorities, and various risk mitigation strategies.

If a mineral commodity is not listed as critical, does that mean it's not important?

No. There are many mineral commodities that are not listed as critical in the 2025 List of Critical Minerals, but which are still vital to many industries and the overall U.S. economy. As described in the Energy Act of 2020, the 2025 List of Critical Minerals focuses on “minerals that the Secretary determines— (i) are essential to the economic or national security of the United States; (ii) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption (including restrictions  associated with foreign political risk, abrupt demand growth, military conflict, violent unrest, anti-competitive or protectionist behaviors, and other risks throughout the supply chain); and (iii) serve an essential function in the manufacturing of a product (including energy technology-, defense-, currency-, agriculture-, consumer electronics-, and health care-related applications), the absence of would have significant consequences for the economic or national security of the United States.”

Do we have these critical minerals in the U.S.?

Yes, many of the minerals that the U.S. relies on through imports are available in the U.S. in some form, however, due to economic, geologic, or policy reasons some of these minerals have not yet been produced.  The USGS is identifying and mapping domestic critical mineral resources, including through the USGS Earth Mapping Resources Initiative. Earth MRI is modernizing mapping of the Nation's surface and subsurface. In partnership with the State Geological Surveys, the USGS delivers high-quality data needed to understand our Nation's geology, find new critical and other mineral resources, and inform decisions about how the Nation will meet its evolving needs.

Are rare earths and critical minerals the same thing?  

No. The rare earth elements are a group of chemical elements on the Periodic Table (the lanthanides and yttrium) that are found together in certain mineral deposits. Rare earths are used in many technologies such as batteries, catalysts, magnets, ceramics, glass, and metallurgy. Rare earth elements were analyzed individually to determine whether or not they were recommended for inclusion on the 2025 draft List of Critical Minerals.