undue reliance on critical miner- als, in processed or unprocessed form, from foreign adversaries. A strong America cannot be de- pendent on imports from foreign adversaries for the critical min- erals that are increasingly nec- essary to maintain our economic and military strength in the 21st century. Because of the nation- al importance of reliable access to critical minerals, I signed Ex- ecutive Order 13817 of December 20, 2017 (A Federal Strategy To Ensure Secure and Reliable Sup- plies of Critical Minerals), which required the Secretary of the In- terior to identify critical miner- als and made it the policy of the Federal Government “to reduce the Nation’s vulnerability to dis- ruptions in the supply of critical minerals.” The critical minerals identified by the Secretary of the Interior are necessary inputs for the products our military, na- tional infrastructure, and econ- omy depend on the most. Our country needs critical minerals to make airplanes, computers, cell phones, electricity generation and transmission systems, and advanced electronics. Though these minerals are in- dispensable to our country, we presently lack the capacity to produce them in processed form in the quantities we need. Amer- ican producers depend on foreign countries to supply and process them. Whereas the United States recognizes the continued impor - tance of cooperation on supply chain issues with internation- al partners and allies, in many cases, the aggressive economic practices of certain non-market foreign producers of critical min- erals have destroyed vital mining and manufacturing jobs in the United States. We must reduce our vulnerability to adverse for- eign government action, natural disaster, or other supply disrup- tions. Our national security, for- eign policy, and economy require a consistent supply of each of these minerals. Using the authority vested in
me by IEEPA, the Executive Or- der requires the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the Secre- tary of Commerce, and the heads of other executive departments and agencies, as appropriate, to investigate our Nation’s undue reliance on critical minerals, in processed or unprocessed form, from foreign adversaries. Follow- ing this investigation, the Execu- tive Order requires the Secretary of the Interior to submit a report to the President recommending additional executive action. The Executive Order also de- clares that it is the policy of the United States to protect and ex-
pand the domestic supply chain for minerals. Specific executive department and agency heads, including the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of En- ergy, are directed to take various actions to protect and expand the domestic supply chain for min- erals, consistent with applicable law, such as the publication of guidance, the revision of regula- tions, and the acceleration of the issuance of permits. I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order I have issued.
DONALD J. TRUMP THE WHITE HOUSE, September 30, 2020
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October 2020
The Alaska Miner
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