Why Copper is a Critical Mineral.
Updated data shows copper should be included on the 2025 USGS Critical Minerals List.
America's future depends on copper, and it meets every component of the U.S. Geological Survey’s definition of a Critical Mineral.
Copper is essential to economic and national security.
Copper plays a key role in energy technology, defense, consumer electronics, and other applications.
Copper's supply chain is vulnerable to disruption.
Copper and the Critical Minerals List
With its release of the 2022 Critical Minerals List, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) relied upon data from 2018 which was already considerably out of date. The world has changed dramatically since that time as the demand for copper has accelerated. The Copper Development Association engaged an analyst to update the copper supply risk score with the most recently available data through 2023. With the new data, and because of skyrocketing imports into the U.S., copper’s supply risk score in 2023 is up to 0.488 and the four-year weighted average score is now up to 0.456 – both above the USGS 0.40 threshold for inclusion on the list. USGS must therefore include copper on the 2025 Critical Minerals List.
Import reliance of copper is
On the Rise
US net import reliance is up from 29.6% in 2016 to 41.2% in 2023 – increasing the trade exposure risk
S&P Global says net import reliance will grow to 60% in 2035 without new domestic production
Despite its clear criticality, dramatic uptick in import penetration, and the increase in productionby adversarial countries, copper was not included on the 2022 U.S. Critical Minerals list.
Given the significant change in the supply risk to copper, which shows no signs of slowing down, the USGS and Secretary of Interior should include copper on the 2025 Critical Minerals List.
Supply disruption potential of copper is
On the Rise
Foreign adversaries China, Russia & Iran accounted for 52% of all non-U.S. global refined copper production in 2023, up from 42% in 2016
Copper's USGS supply risk score is
On the Rise
The result of these is that copper’s USGS supply risk score has grown from .334 in 2018 (timeframe when USGS last calculated scores) to .488 in 2023
– well above the .40 threshold score to be added to the list.
A broad coalition of public policy and industry leaders in Washington and beyond agreed copper is critical!
Senate
Senator
Kyrsten Sinema (I- AZ)
Senator
Mike Braun (R-IN)
Senator
Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
Senator
Joe Manchin (I-WV)
Senator
Mitt Romney (R-UT)
Senator
Raphael Warnock (D-GA)
These additional Senators also believe copper should be an official Critical Mineral
Senator
Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Governors
Doug Burgum
State of North Dakota
Jim Justice
State of West Virginia
Bill Lee
State of Tennessee
Mark Gordon
State of Wyoming
Tate Reeves
State of Mississippi
Brian P. Kemp
State of Georgia
Brad Little
State of Idaho
Spencer Cox
State of Utah
Mike Dunleavy
State of Alaska
Joe Lombardo
State of Nevada
Associations & Unions
American Foundry Society (AFS)
American Supply Association
Arizona Mining Association
Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE)
Copper & Brass Supply Chain Association (CBSCA)
Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association
Electric School Bus Coalition (ESBC)
Empire Clean Cities
Greater Boston Plumbing Contractors Association
The International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (The IAPMO Group)
International Code Council (ICC)
National Electrical Manufactures Association (NEMA)
National Mining Association (NMA)
New Mexico Mining Association (NMMA)
Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS)
North American Metals Council (NAMC)
Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors-National Association
PHCC of California
Plumbing Manufacturers International
Precision Machined Products Association
Precision Metalforming Association
Treated Wood Council
United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters of the United States and Canada
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Zero Emission Transportation Association (ZETA)
Industry
Acronis SCS
Action Plumbing and Heating
Alconex Specialty Products, Inc.
AMES Copper Group
Amity Die & Stamping LLC
Arizona Sonoran Copper Company
Aurubis Buffalo, Inc.
Aviva Metals, Inc.
Bunting Bearings LLC
Cambridge-Lee Industries, LLC
Carter Alloys Company
Christymetals
Cocalico Plumbing & Heating
Concast Metal Products
Copperweld
Dolan Inc.
Eaton
Farmers Copper Ltd
Fortress Wood Products
Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
Great Lakes Copper
Greenwood Fabricating & Plating
Heliox
Hussey Copper
IMC MetalsAmerica
IWG Owl Wire
Keats Mfg. Co.
Kenmode Tool and Engineering
Materion Corporation
Midwest Transportation, LLC
Miles Chemical
Molex
Morgan Bronze Products, Inc.
Mueller Brass Co
Mueller Industries, Inc.
Mueller Streamline Co.
New England Trading Global
Prime Materials Recovery, Inc.
Revere Copper Products, Inc.
Rio Tinto America
S+S Industries
SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS
SEA Electric
Southwire Company LLC
Stanley Spring & Stamping Corp.
thyssenkrupp materials
Titan International, Inc.
U.S. Brass & Copper
Viega LLC
Zenobe
Take Action
Given the significant change in the supply risk to copper, which shows no signs of slowing down, we need to act immediately to enable the copper industry to provide the essential inputs that copper provides to our national defense and economic security.
Download our toolkit, and urge the Secretary of Interior to immediately add copper to the Critical Minerals List!
