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1) According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), US mines produced about $98.2 billion in nonfuel commodities last year, which marks about a $3.6 billion, or around 3.8% increase over the 2021 total of $94.6 billion. Arizona was the top producing state with just over $10 billion in value, followed by Nevada and Texas with about $9 billion and approximately $8 billion respectively. The report monitors over 90 nonfuel mineral commodities which include iron ore, cement, aggregates, gold, silver, copper and rare earths. “Industries that use nonfuel mineral materials created an estimated $3.64 trillion in value-added products in 2022, which represents a 9% increase from 2021,” said Steven M. Fortier, USGS National Minerals Information Center director. “Decision-makers and leaders in both the private and public sectors rely on the crucial, unbiased statistics and data provided by the USGS in the Mineral Commodity Summaries to make business decisions and determine national policy.” US metal mine production was estimated to be valued at $34.7 billion with the biggest contributors being copper (33%), gold (28%), iron ore (15%), zinc (9%) and molybdenum (5%).
Source: USGS Records Nonfuel Mineral Production Jump of $3.6 Billion in 2022 | U.S. Geological Survey
2) Senator Kyrsten Sinema, an Independent from Arizona, sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to "revisit and reconsider the designation of copper as a critical mineral." Other lawmakers came to support with signatures that included Mark Kelly of Arizona, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Mark Braun of Indiana, Georgia's Raphael Warnock, and Mitt Romney of Utah, all states that have a critical role in our economy and society when it comes to providing the build blocks and raw minerals. “This should be a no-brainer,” Sinema said in an interview. “We have major gaps in both our ability to mine and process these minerals to ensure our energy security for the future, and the administration knows how important copper is to our domestic and national security.” This letter comes as the copper price is at its all-time highs, supply is low, and the demand is projected to increase as the world tries to switch over to the green revolution. The US critical minerals list is updated every 3 years and the most recent updated list, in 2022, did not include copper. The list did include other critical minerals that are used in an EV such as lithium, nickel and zinc.