Expansion of 2025 U.S. Critical Minerals List Spotlights Alaska’s Untapped Riches

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s release of the final 2025 Critical Minerals List on November 7th, has expanded to 60 essential resources, adding 10 new entries—boron, copper, lead, metallurgical coal, phosphate, potash, rhenium, silicon, silver, and uranium—amid escalating concerns over supply chain vulnerabilities. This update, based on U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) modeling of over 1,200 trade disruption scenarios, underscores America’s heavy reliance on imports: fully foreign-dependent for 12 minerals and over 50% for 29 others, with China dominating production of 30.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has previously emphasized the state’s role in energy dominance stating, “Alaska is rich in critical minerals including graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, rare earth elements and platinum-group elements—essential to everyday products Americans demand.

The move signals a strategic pivot to fortify domestic production, backed by nearly $1 billion in proposed federal funding for mining, processing, and manufacturing innovations. The administration is also fast-tracking permits for 10 key projects targeting copper, antimony, and lithium, while forging Indo-Pacific alliances to diversify global sourcing and counter non-allied risks.

Alaska emerges as a key player in this national effort, boasting vast reserves of 49 out of 50 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, platinum-group elements, cobalt, nickel, and the newly listed copper and zinc. The state’s mineral industry generated $4.51 billion in 2022 production alone, with USGS assessments highlighting high-potential deposits in placer tailings and alkaline igneous rocks. At the Greens Creek mine, recoverable metals in tailings are valued at $2.8 billion, primarily gold and silver but rich in critical byproducts. Globally, Alaska holds 12% of copper resources, 7% of zinc and silver, and 16% of molybdenum, positioning it to slash U.S. import dependence.

Industry leaders hail the list as a catalyst for exploration. As demand surges for renewables and defense tech, Alaska’s resources could redefine multiple sectors of the US economy—provided permitting and infrastructure keep pace.