Executive Order 13817, A Federal Strategy To Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals

Last updated: 21 November 2023

Executive Order 13817 of 20 December 2017 is a document issued by President Donald J. Trump, as an early step towards better management of critical minerals in the United States. It stated that the aim of the administration is to work towards securing the supply of minerals that are critical to the country’s security and economic prosperity.

This document: 

  • Recognises minerals as a major stake for the interest of the Nation, especially in the fields of security and economic prosperity;
  • Defines critical minerals and asks that a list of critical minerals be published by the Federal Register;
  • States that new sources of minerals, increased industrial activity and more thorough exploration of the US territory shall be fostered by the government;
  • Requests a report from the Secretary of Commerce in coordination with the Secretaries of Defense, the Interior, Agriculture, and Energy, and the United States Trade Representative on the topic of critical minerals.

The report requested by this Order should include a strategy to reduce the US’s reliance on critical minerals, an assessment of recycling technologies and alternatives, options for investment and trade, a plan to support private sector mineral exploration of critical information through the sharing of geological information, and recommendations to increase discovery, production and domestic refining of critical minerals.

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