Doug Burgum Orders Recovery of Critical Minerals From Mine Waste

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum issued an order on July 23 to utilize federal funding for the recovery of critical minerals from both functioning and abandoned mine waste. The initiative, titled "Unlocking Critical and Strategic Minerals from Mine Waste, Cutting Red Tape, and Restoring American Dominance in Strategic Mineral Production," seeks to strengthen the national technological supply chain and reduce reliance on imports for components used in cellphones, computers, and defense technologies.

The order targets various waste sources, including coal refuse, tailings, and 111 abandoned uranium mines across the western United States. To encourage private industry participation, the U.S. Geological Survey is tasked with creating a public inventory of recoverable minerals, including maps and data. Initial identified resources include tellurium in Utah, antimony and arsenic in Idaho, germanium and zinc in Oklahoma, and rare earth elements in the Illinois and Appalachian basins.

Supporting the effort, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is collaborating with the Navajo Nation to remediate radiological and chemical hazards at derelict uranium mines. Officials stated that the collaboration between federal and state geological surveys transforms environmental challenges into strategic resources to bolster national security and industrial capabilities.