Changes are in the works for the list of minerals deemed critical to the US, with an updated version currently undergoing review and open for public comment until Dec. 9th. At the same time, industry experts are calling for measures to encourage domestic mining in order to establish a reliable US supply chain of these materials.
Here’s a look at how the critical minerals list is changing, and what could be ahead in the United States’ effort to build a sustainable, reliable supply chain around them.
FEECO serves the mining industry as a partner in R&D efforts to maximize critical mineral resources through process development and process equipment engineering and manufacturing. Our customers come to FEECO for our ability to help them with recovering valuable materials from wastes, developing more efficient production methods, and facilitating beneficial reuse applications.
Updates to the Critical Mineral List
The Critical Mineral List was originally released in 2018 in response to growing alarm over the nation’s rising reliance on imports for a variety of materials considered essential to national security and economic prosperity. The Department of the Interior is required to review the list and the methodology behind it every three years at a minimum, reflecting the rapid pace at which things can change.
Selection utilized both quantitative and qualitative assessments based on various risk factors to identify the final list. Perhaps the most significant change in the updated USGS methodology was the addition of a factor the USGS refers to as a single point of failure, or SPOF – in essence, those minerals with a single domestic producer at some point in the raw material supply chain.
The changes to the proposed revision consist of few, but key updates. While the original list consisted of 35 minerals, the updated list has 50. This might seem like a major addition, but primarily reflects the decision to break up the rare earth elements and precious metal groups into individual materials.
Minerals Removed From the List
In addition to breaking out the precious metal and REE groups, the proposed version no longer contains helium, potash, rhenium, or strontium, due to a low potential for disruption in the supply chain for the latter three, and because the US is the leading producer of helium. Uranium was also removed, as it has been recategorized as a mineral fuel (fuel minerals are excluded from the list as per the Energy Act of 2020).
Nickel Added to List of Critical Minerals
Nickel’s ever-growing use in batteries has made the metal vital to reaching energy transition goals, with demand for the metal exploding. This, combined with the fact that a single point of failure (more than one, actually) exists in the domestic supply chain for nickel.
Interest around processing nickel laterite ores has been on the rise as sulfide deposits, currently the primary source of nickel, become tapped out.
Zinc Added to List of Critical Minerals
Zinc was also added to the list, but not for a single point of failure; simply because rising concentration of global mine and smelter production, along with a continuous improvement of the quantitative analysis, pushed the metal over the threshold for consideration as critical.
Zinc is primarily recognized for its role in producing galvanized steel.
More US Mining & Mineral Production Needed
Just prior to the release of the updated draft of the critical minerals list, a new report from The Wilson Center was also released, emphasizing that the US must streamline permitting to encourage new domestic projects if it is to catch up with competitors in building a supply chain.
The report is the latest of many to highlight the widening gap between accessible resources and rising demand, falling in line with findings from Wood Mackenzie, the World Bank, and the International Energy Agency (IEA).
The Wilson Center report, entitled, The Mosaic Approach: A Multidimensional Strategy for Strengthening America’s Critical Minerals Supply Chain, sets forth a number of recommendations for both the government and private sector.
The report notes that while the US government is far from solely to blame, it plays an important role in the ability to build the supply chain, and has historically disincentivized the development of domestic resources, resulting in “chronic underinvestment” when it comes to new projects. If the nation is to succeed, it must create a more encouraging environment for investment in domestic projects, though it does note that the US (or any other nation for that matter) cannot do it alone and must work collaboratively on an international scale.
The report also recognizes that the mining industry’s image has a role to play as well, and must advance efforts in environmental, social, and governance practices.
The Infrastructure Bill
Coincidentally, this all comes alongside the approval of a historic infrastructure bill signed into law by President Biden on November 15th. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA, will bolster efforts and funding to repair the nation’s aging roads and bridges, build the infrastructure necessary to support the electric vehicle revolution, bring broadband to rural areas, and more, all of which will require massive quantities of critical minerals.
Following the approval, Rich Nolan, National Mining Association President and CEO, released a letter in which he states:
“The U.S. is at a mining crossroads. We have abundant mineral resources right here at home, but we need to remove self-imposed obstacles in order to access them. The anticipated increase in EVs and the deployment of future energy technologies must be accompanied by more production and processing capabilities here at home.”
As always, R&D will likely play an essential role in helping to establish a more reliable supply chain, through the development of new and improved technologies and processes.
Conclusion
Updates to the Critical Minerals List reflect the changing resource landscape and the ever-growing need for key minerals in meeting national security and economic goals. But as many have highlighted, the US must ramp up efforts around domestic mining and processing, while working with allies, to enable a reliable domestic supply chain.
The FEECO Innovation Center is a valuable resource to the mining industry for developing new and enhanced processes to maximize critical mineral resources. Information gathered during testing can then be used to engineer custom equipment. For more information about our testing or equipment capabilities, contact us today!
REFERENCE:
Fortier, S.M., Nassar, N.T., Lederer, G.W., Brainard, Jamie, Gambogi, Joseph, and McCullough, E.A., 2018, Draft critical mineral list—Summary of methodology and background information—U.S. Geological Survey technical input document in response to Secretarial Order No. 3359: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2018–1021, 15 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20181021