Both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris support increasing US production of critical minerals. They have even expressed support for similar policies, such as mineral stockpiling. On day one of a new administration, the next US President can—unilaterally—target five policy areas to bolster US mining of critical minerals: stockpiling, subsidies, procurement, tariffs, and permitting.
In short, the next president’s administration has significant unilateral authority to support US mining of critical minerals. First, it could increase mineral stockpiling by tapping both the NDS Transaction Fund and DPA fund for mineral acquisitions.
The next administration could also expand existing subsidies—like the ATVM direct loan program—to mining projects. For government acquisitions of clean energy technologies, it could set content requirements for US-extracted minerals.
The next administration could, additionally, impose tariffs on mineral imports of their choosing by issuing a national emergency declaration concerning mineral imports under IEEPA.
Lastly, it could expedite permitting by prioritizing jurisdictional determinations for sites of potential mining projects. On January 20, 2025, the next US president could—and should—take these actions to bolster US mining of critical minerals.
** Gregory Wischer is the founder of Dei Gratia Minerals, a critical minerals consulting firm.
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