Posted on 02/25/2025 7:11:07 PM PST by Morgana
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Trade Expansion Act), it is hereby ordered:
Section 1. Policy. Copper is a critical material essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States. Copper, scrap copper, and copper’s derivative products play a vital role in defense applications, infrastructure, and emerging technologies, including clean energy, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. The United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain, with increasing reliance on foreign sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper.
The United States has ample copper reserves, yet our smelting and refining capacity lags significantly behind global competitors. A single foreign producer dominates global copper smelting and refining, controlling over 50 percent of global smelting capacity and holding four of the top five largest refining facilities. This dominance, coupled with global overcapacity and a single producer’s control of world supply chains, poses a direct threat to United States national security and economic stability.
It is the policy of the United States to ensure a reliable, secure, and resilient domestic copper supply chain. The United States’ increasing dependence on foreign sources of copper, particularly from a concentrated number of supplier nations, along with the risk of foreign market manipulation, necessitate action under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine whether imports of copper, scrap copper, and copper’s derivative products threaten to impair national security.
Sec. 2. Investigation Into the National Security Impact of Copper Imports. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall initiate an investigation under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act to determine the effects on national security of imports of copper in all forms, including but not limited to:
(i) raw mined copper;
(ii) copper concentrates;
(iii) refined copper;
(iv) copper alloys;
(v) scrap copper; and
(vi) derivative products.
(b) In conducting the investigation described in subsection (a) of this section, the Secretary of Commerce shall assess the factors set forth in 19 U.S.C. 1862(d), labeled “Domestic production for national defense; impact of foreign competition on economic welfare of domestic industries,” as well as other relevant factors, including:
(i) the current and projected demand for copper in United States defense, energy, and critical infrastructure sectors;
(ii) the extent to which domestic production, smelting, refining, and recycling can meet demand;
(iii) the role of foreign supply chains, particularly from major exporters, in meeting United States demand;
(iv) the concentration of United States copper imports from a small number of suppliers and the associated risks;
(v) the impact of foreign government subsidies, overcapacity, and predatory trade practices on United States industry competitiveness;
(vi) the economic impact of artificially suppressed copper prices due to dumping and state-sponsored overproduction;
(vii) the potential for export restrictions by foreign nations, including the ability of foreign nations to weaponize their control over refined copper supplies;
(viii) the feasibility of increasing domestic copper mining, smelting, and refining capacity to reduce import reliance; and
(ix) the impact of current trade policies on domestic copper production and whether additional measures, including tariffs or quotas, are necessary to protect national security.
Sec. 3. Required Actions. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall consult with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other relevant executive departments and agencies as determined by the Secretary of Commerce to evaluate the national security risks associated with copper import dependency.
(b) Within 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit a report to the President that includes:
(i) findings on whether United States dependence on copper imports threatens national security;
(ii) recommendations on actions to mitigate such threats, including potential tariffs, export controls, or incentives to increase domestic production; and
(iii) policy recommendations for strengthening the United States copper supply chain through strategic investments, permitting reforms, and enhanced recycling initiatives.
Sec. 4. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 25, 2025.
Copper water pipes are better to American human life than Lead pipes.
That’s a lead pipe cinch.
Unfortunate choice of words here, “clean energy, electric vehicles,”
No, NOT clean, they mostly shift the pollution to their manufacture instead of spreading it out over the vehicles life.
Claimed long term saving do not happen due to the short life of EV’s.
ICE may actually be cleaner.
Now, as to Copper.
I live in a Copper mining town.
Big proven reserves but the mine has been slow to grow and county residents are a bit annoyed at the lack of promised local jobs and other benefits.
I do not know for certain, but I am told the ore goes to China for processing.
...On the first day of his presidency, Trump signed an executive order advancing the Ambler Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road through the Brooks Range foothills that enables commercial mining for copper, zinc and other materials in a remote Arctic area in Northwest Alaska.
That executive order, one of dozens signed by Trump in the early hours of his administration, reverses a move by former President Biden to block the project and represents a significant change in energy policy, according to experts who spoke to Fox News Digital....
Zambia has copper mines and could use some help economically.
The Resolution Copper Project in Superior, AZ (east of Phoenix) could supply 25% of America’s copper demand - if it were producing
It has been in permitting stage for almost 25 years. Its undergoing lawsuits from Apache Nation as well as Sierra Club and the Biden Administration withdrew Trump 1 support for the project.
Its silly to blame China for producing copper - when the United States refuses to allow production of its own resources
One of the primary luxury beliefs the US can no longer afford is the notion that you can have a rich, industrialized country and a pre-industrial environment.
I buy copper everyday. I'd really like to see independence with our needs here.
PVC water tastes funky. Copper is superior.
Copper water lines is better than pex water lines.
The Resolution Copper sits on the largest deposit of copper anywhere on Earth! And very rich, easy to process.
It was allowed to start mining by Trump 45. The fifth day of Biden administration, it was stopped by Sleepy Joe executive order!
Time to restart!
BTW, even if allowed to mine, there is no processing capability in the US. All existing smelters are booked, and new one cannot be build, thanks to the Enviros!
Ditto with the rare Earth, which are sent to China to be processed.
There needs to be a way to build new smelters for all the metals and minerals widely available in the USA.
Right now, it is NOT possible, due to lawsuits and environmental regulations!
Mr recently bought 1986 Corvette is running fine.
A replacement battery is under $200
I expect it to be on the road another ten years or more.
No Tesla is going to last forty to fifty years.
My other cars have already passed the fifty year mark.
Some years ago Nevada almost got control of its public lands back from the Fed.
Of course our Dem. Gov. of the time, Boob Miller, announced he would veto the bill and the effort died.
At the time some nominal supporters of the effort claimed there are area’s of our state that “We would not WANT to have, they are utterly useless”.
I contend that there is no such thing as “Utterly useless” land.
That land is probably a great spot to locate lead and copper smelters on.
Pumpkin Hollow locally seems to be advancing very slowly.
They build up a little, then have layoff’s, more investors, etc.
They should have been a major supplier by now.
I’ve watched industry get strangled through regulations my entire life. Logging, mining, coal, gas, and oil. More recently, Pharmaceuticals. We don’t even make Aspirin any longer.
It is absolutely insane, and clearly deliberately crippling our industry, not out of concern for “the environment” but to weaken America and leave us vulnerable.
There are smelters in the US. Grandfathered.
But no new could be built!
Similarly with oil refineries and similar “polluting” industries.
People live there and work there, they provide jobs and resources, without any apparent harm.
Instead of building new, beautiful, state of the art smelters, companies keep operating these old, backwards ones.
Or opening new in China, where, obviously, environmental regulations do not matter!
At this stage, companies generally do not even attempt to open new ones in the US. It would probably take several industry friendly administrations and implementation of several friendly regulations and tort reforms, before somebody would dare to try to build one!
Until then, US will send the mined ore to process to China, giving Chinese Communists control over US resources!
A single foreign producer dominates global copper smelting and refining, controlling over 50 percent of global smelting capacity and holding four of the top five largest refining facilities.
—
Chile
We have a small oil refinery here.
With the closings in CA it is past time for it to be expanded.
That also means upgrading the means to get oil in and out, so not simple.
But I would contend critical.
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