The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has published its final list of 50 mineral commodities critical to the US economy and national security, updating the 2018 list that contained fewer commodities.

New additions to the list include nickel and zinc, while helium, potash, rhenium and strontium have been removed. The new list also splits the rare earth elements and platinum group elements into individual entries, rather than including them as mineral groups.

“USGS data collection and analysis scans the horizon for emerging issues in crucial supply chains, and every three years identifies the nation’s current vulnerabilities to potential disruptions,” explained Tanya Trujillo, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science.

The new list was created based on directives from the Energy Act of 2020, which defines a “critical mineral” as a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic or national security of the US and which has a supply chain vulnerable to disruption. Critical minerals are also characterized as serving an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for the economy or national security. 

The 2022 list of critical minerals, while “final”, is not intended as a permanent designation of mineral criticality but will be a dynamic list updated periodically to represent current data on supply, demand, concentration of production and current policy priorities. 

"Mineral criticality is not static, but changes over time," said Steven Fortier, USGS National Minerals Information Center director. "The 2022 list of critical minerals was created using the most recent available data for non-fuel mineral commodities. However, we're always analysing mineral markets and developing new methods to determine the various and evolving critical mineral supply chain risks."

The list of critical minerals will be the focus of USGS research quantifying critical mineral potential within the US.

In President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the USGS received funding for its Earth Mapping Resource Initiative, which will update the nation's mapping of these minerals, including those still in the ground and those present in mine wastes.