MINING SNAPSHOT – DRAFT 2025 CRITICAL MINERALS LIST RELEASED

Mining Snapshot: USGS Releases Draft 2025 Critical Minerals List

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has issued the draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals, identifying 54 commodities and signaling a sharper, data-driven approach to supply chain risk and U.S. national security.

Additions and Removals: The updates, which reflect a probabilistic economic impact model that tested disruption scenarios and GDP effects, resulted in the following changes:

🔹 Added: Copper, Silver, Potash, Silicon, Rhenium, Lead 

🔹 Removed: Arsenic and Tellurium

The inclusion of copper (long debated) underscores its strategic role in electrification and grid resilience.

Why It Matters - Designation as a “critical mineral” can (i) unlock federal funding and tax incentives, (ii) enable streamlined permitting, and (iii) shape trade policy, stockpiling, and investment priorities. For miners, investors, and supply chain stakeholders, the list also offers a roadmap for where U.S. government support and scrutiny will intensify.

What’s Next - The public comment period is open from August 26th for 30 days via the Federal Register allowing stakeholders to influence the final list, including consideration of other minerals such as uranium, helium, or metallurgical coal.

Strategic Signal - This is the most substantial revision since the list’s inception, reflecting a closer alignment of federal strategy, industry investment, and supply chain resilience. As momentum builds, Serus Legal continues to track developments across the U.S. and globally.

Why Serus? – our team advises on options for critical mineral support in the U.S., EU, and beyond. We support clients from project development and strategic transactions to navigating emerging regulatory frameworks.

To learn more, contact us or email pfinan@seruslegal.com.

This Snapshot is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.