US President Donald Trump invoked emergency powers to extend the domestic production of critical minerals while trying to reduce American dependence on imports from countries like China.
The decree, which uses the legislation of the Cold War era, educates government agencies, including the Ministry of Defense, to prioritize mining projects as well as to provide technical and financial support to stimulate critical mineral production.
It sometimes happens that a trade war degenerates with China, which has crushing control on the supply chain of certain critical minerals.
Last year, Beijing prohibited the sale of certain critical minerals in the United States, forcing American companies to seek other sources of vital materials.
“Our national and economic security is now very threatened by our dependence on the mineral production of hostile foreign powers,” said the decree.
“It is imperative for our national security that the United States takes immediate measures to facilitate interior mineral production in the maximum possible extent.”
The order also calls to accelerate permits for operating and treatment projects as well as to instruct the American department of the Interior to prioritize mineral production on federal land.
Despite critical mineral deposits, the United States is based strongly on other countries for its supplies.
Trump’s prices on a wide range of imports have triggered trade tensions with some of its main suppliers such as China and Canada.
Critical minerals are essential for the production of key technologies ranging from batteries to advanced weapons systems.
Trump was also impatient to access the critical minerals of Ukraine.
He said Thursday that an agreement will be signed “very quickly”.
“We also sign agreements in various places to unlock rare land and minerals and many other things all over the world, but in particular Ukraine”.
Aside from Ukraine, the United States is negotiating a potential agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo on its mineral resources.
US President Trump also spoke of resuming the Danish territory of Greenland, rich in rare land.
