On March 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order on Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production (Executive Order). The Executive Order targets key areas of mineral production in the U.S., including project permitting, land use and accelerating private and public capital investments.~~Mineral Production Industry in the United States~~The United States is a significant player in the global mineral production industry, contributing to the extraction and processing of a wide array of minerals essential for various sectors, including technology, energy, construction, transportation, manufacturing and defense. The U.S. boasts a diverse mineral portfolio, including coal, copper, gold, iron ore and rare earth elements, among others. The country’s mineral production is supported by a robust infrastructure, advanced technology and a regulatory framework that ensures sustainable and environmentally responsible mining practices.~~At the same time, the U.S. currently relies heavily on imports of certain minerals, with at least 15 critical minerals identified in the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) 2024 Mineral Commodities Summary Report as entirely net import reliant, and an additional 35 having a net import reliance greater than 50%.~~In recent years, the U.S. has focused on increasing the domestic production of critical minerals to reduce dependency on foreign sources, particularly for minerals essential to high-tech industries and national security. This strategic shift is driven by the growing demand for minerals used in renewable energy technologies, electric vehicles, other clean technologies and advanced electronics.~~As stated in Section 1 of the Executive Order, the U.S. was once the world’s largest producer of minerals, but federal regulatory hurdles have eroded the country’s mineral production. The Executive Order aims to address some of the obstacles to, and introduce measures to facilitate, the growth of mineral production in the U.S.~~Critical Minerals~~While various regulatory bodies and policy makers have issued differing definitions and lists of critical minerals, the Executive Order specifically applies to:~~These minerals play different roles in the U.S. energy and national security infrastructure. For instance:~~Measures to Increase Domestic Mineral Production~~The Executive Order targets several key areas of mineral mining, processing, refining and smelting that could give a boost to the industry by streamlining permitting processes, granting land and mobilizing capital.~~Next Steps~~The Executive Order has introduced a wide range of measures that can streamline the permitting process for mineral production and help mobilize government funds and private capital to boost the mineral exploration, mining, processing, refining and smelting industries in the United States. As the Executive Order provides for aggressive deadlines for various agencies to implement these measures, we expect mineral producers will move quickly to utilize the new opportunities created by the Executive Order, including seeking faster permitting for priority projects and easier access to land for mineral production.~~In the meantime, mineral producers should consider engaging in discussions with relevant agencies to take advantage of these new opportunities: (i) ensure that development projects that are currently under review are designated as priority projects and offered fast-track permitting; (ii) secure land designated for mineral production in order to develop new mineral production projects; and (iii) secure other public and private sources of funding for new mineral production projects, including government loans and working capital, DPA funding and DFC and Export-Import Bank financing.~~[1] On February 25, 2025, President Trump signed another Executive Order to address the threat to national security from imports of copper, directing the Secretary of Commerce to initiate an investigation to determine the effects on national security of imports of copper and, in consultation with the Secretaries of Defense, the Interior and Energy and with the heads of other relevant agencies, to evaluate the national security risks associated with copper import dependency.~~The following Gibson Dunn lawyers prepared this update: Eric Scarazzo, George Sampas, Daniel Alterbaum, John Gaffney, Nick Politan, William R. Hollaway, Ph.D., Tory Lauterbach, Lauren Traina, and Vlad Zinovyev.~~Gibson Dunn lawyers are available to assist in addressing any questions you may have about these developments.  To learn more about these issues, please contact the Gibson Dunn lawyer with whom you usually work, any member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions, Cleantech, Power and Renewables, or Energy Regulation and Litigation practice groups, or the following:~~Mergers and Acquisitions: George Sampas – New York (+1 212.351.6300, gsampas@gibsondunn.com)~~Cleantech: John T. Gaffney – New York (+1 212.351.2626, jgaffney@gibsondunn.com) Eric Scarazzo – New York (+1 212.351.2389, escarazzo@gibsondunn.com) Daniel S. Alterbaum – New York (+1 212.351.4084, dalterbaum@gibsondunn.com)~~Power and Renewables: Peter J. Hanlon – New York (+1 212.351.2425, phanlon@gibsondunn.com) Nick Politan – New York (+1 212.351.2616, npolitan@gibsondunn.com)~~Energy Regulation and Litigation: William R. Hollaway – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8592, whollaway@gibsondunn.com) Tory Lauterbach – Washington, D.C. (+1 202.955.8519, tlauterbach@gibsondunn.com)~~© 2025 Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.  All rights reserved.  For contact and other information, please visit us at www.gibsondunn.com.~~Attorney Advertising: These materials were prepared for general informational purposes only based on information available at the time of publication and are not intended as, do not constitute, and should not be relied upon as, legal advice or a legal opinion on any specific facts or circumstances. 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