US adds copper, silver and potash to draft list of critical minerals

By Mariaan Webb – Mining Weekly

The US government has proposed adding copper, silver and potash to its list of critical minerals for the first time.

The Department of the Interior on Monday released a draft 2025 list of 54 minerals deemed critical to the US economy and national security. The update, developed by the US Geological Survey (USGS), includes six new additions: copper, silver, potash, silicon, rhenium and lead. Arsenic and tellurium were recommended for removal.