Highlights
- President Trump’s executive order creates the National Energy Dominance Council to accelerate domestic energy and critical minerals production.
- The initiative seeks to reduce regulatory barriers and develop strategic mineral resources to support AI, manufacturing, and national security.
- Despite ambitious goals, the policy may fall short of challenging China’s comprehensive rare earth elements and processing dominance.
On March 20 we reported on President Trump’s Critical Minerals order from that date. One feature of this directive is that it puts the brand-new National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) center stage in managing thegrowth of US minerals development. The NEDC was created by another Trumpexecutive order (opens in a new tab), from February 14, 2025, a step in his administration’s pursuit of bolstering American energy production and independence. The order lays out a clear and ambitious strategy: expand domestic energy production across all available sources—including fossil fuels, nuclear, renewables, and critical minerals—while eliminating regulatory barriers that hinder industry growth. The Council, chaired by the Secretary of the Interior and vice-chaired by the Secretary of Energy, brings together key figures from multiple federal agencies in an attempt to create a unified and aggressive approach to energy policy.
From AI to advanced manufacturing
The policy behind this initiative reflects Trump’s belief that energy security is fundamental to economic prosperity and national security. It’s also a tacit recognition to green energy, and the criticality of select minerals and rare earth elements. Of course a growing recognition thatAmerica does not have sufficient energy supply to power the AIrevolution, and all else the nation must do.
The Trump executive order explicitly calls for cutting regulatory “red tape,” increasing investment in energy infrastructure, and leveraging the nation’s vast natural resources to restore American manufacturing. One of the major points of emphasis is the need to rapidly approve and construct pipelines, reopen power plants, and develop small modular nuclear reactors to meet growing energy demands. The order also stresses the importance of utilizing critical minerals—like lithium and copper—necessary for emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. With the Secretary of the Interior now serving as a standing member of the National Security Council, the order firmly ties energy production to national security strategy.
White House follows up
Following the executive order, a White House article (opens in a new tab) on February 19, 2025, reinforced the administration’s commitment to energy dominance. It highlighted the broad coalition of support for the NEDC from industry leaders, lawmakers, and labor unions, emphasizing how the Council’s creation aligns with national security concerns and economic interests. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce praised the move, framing it as essential for ensuring a stable and affordable power supply. Various energy trade groups, including the American Exploration and Production Council, echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing that a whole-of-government approach is necessary to meet rising energy demands and counteract what they view as the restrictive policies of the previous administration.
Labor on board
Union leaders also threw their support behind the Council, particularly those representing workers in the energy sector. Organizations like North America’s Building Trades Unions and the United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters expressed enthusiasm over potential job creation and the removal of government-imposed obstacles that have slowed energy infrastructure projects. The article also included praise from pro-business and free-market advocacy groups, such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Americans for Prosperity, both of which framed the executive order as a reversal of what they saw as the anti-energy policies of the Biden administration.
Newmont executive tapped
A major development tied to the Council emerged in a Reuters exclusive (opens in a new tab) on March 20, 2025, revealing that former Newmont executive David Copley (opens in a new tab) has been tapped to oversee the mining portfolio within the NEDC. This appointment signals the administration’s intent to take a more centralized and strategic approach to mining policy, particularly concerning the extraction and processing of critical minerals. Given China’s near-monopoly on rare earth elements and other crucial materials, the administration sees boosting domestic mining as a way to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers and strengthen the U.S. economy.
Economist, intelligence officer
Copley, an economist and former intelligence officer, brings a diverse background to the role. His experience in both government and the private sector, including time at the State Department and the Defense Intelligence Agency, suggests that his approach will likely balance economic priorities with national security considerations. His main responsibilities will include advising on permitting reform, coordinating federal oversight of the mining industry, and ensuring that the domestic production of critical minerals meets the growing demand driven by artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, and advanced manufacturing.
Federal lands review
The Reuters report also cited that Trump recently signed another executive order directing a review of federal lands to determine where mineral processing operations could be expanded. This aligns with the broader goal of ramping up domestic production to avoid reliance on foreign entities, particularly in adversarial nations like China. While the White House and the Department of the Interior have yet to publicly comment on Copley’s appointment, his selection underscores the administration’s commitment to making mining policy a top priority within the energy dominance agenda.
Big goals
The creation of the National Energy Dominance Council and the subsequent policy moves signal a dramatic shift in U.S. energy strategy. The administration is positioning the country for a future where energy abundance underpins economic growth, national security, and technological advancement. The Council’s ability to cut through bureaucratic obstacles and drive investment in domestic energy production will ultimately determine whether Trump’s vision of American energy dominance becomes a long-term reality.
NEDC Can’t Beat China
While the Trump administration’s Critical Minerals Executive Order and the formation of the NEDC signal an intent to reposition the United States as a leader in energy and resource independence, these efforts fall short when it comes to challenging China’s entrenched dominance in the rare earth and critical mineral supply chain.
At a glance, the policy direction is ambitious—calling for deregulation, expanded federal oversight, and accelerated domestic production. Yet, as Rare Earth Exchanges has chronicled, the core problem is not in mining alone. It lies in the lack of a coherent industrial policy that coordinates the entire value chain—from extraction and separation to refining to the production of high-value components and end products.
What makes China’s position in the rare element space so formidable is not just its mineral reserves—it’s the vertically integrated industrial ecosystem the country has spent decades building and refining. China doesn’t merely mine rare earths; it processes and controls 80-90% of global separation and refining capacity and a likely an even higher share of magnet and component manufacturing, the parts crucial for electric vehicles, defense systems, and clean energy technologies. Without a national strategy that links upstream resource development with midstream processing and downstream value-added manufacturing, the U.S. will remain reliant on Chinese processing firms, even if domestic mining increases. Yes, there are great companies, such as MP Materials, that will advance and take away some of the business from China, but to this day, Nevada-based corporations must still rely on China to process a significant amount of their outtake.
Despite the appointment of a capable figure like David Copley to oversee mining efforts within the NEDC, this move appears more symbolic than systemic. There is no indication yet of a Manhattan Project-style mobilization to rebuild or reinvent the U.S. capacity for REE separation or to create domestic supply chains for permanent magnets or other advanced materials. And in this day and age as Rare Earth Exchanges has reported a Manhattan Project style effort probably would not fly with today’s American population.
There is also no indication of a coordinated plan to engage private industry, state governments, academia, and defense contractors in building such an advanced ecosystem. The Trump policy framework is largely reactive, focused on slashing red tape and expanding mining permits—tactics that, while helpful at the margins, do not construct the complex, capital-intensive infrastructure required to compete with China’s industrial machinery.
If anything, the current executive order may serve more as a signal to Beijing than a serious threat to its dominance: a sign that the U.S. is still years away from challenging China’s rare earth monopoly. Could this be the actual intent?
Without bold investments, treasury-backed public-private partnerships, and a central organizing framework with more force than even the semiconductor CHIPS Act or the Defense Production Act, the U.S. will struggle to escape the gravitational pull of Chinese REE supremacy. In short, America may be digging baby digging, but it isn’t building—and until those changes, declarations of “energy dominance” will ring relatively hollow in the global critical minerals race. Few American politicians grasp the true scale of the challenge. And unfortunately, we suspect that, more often than not, the prospect of quick profits for industry players will outweigh any commitment to the long-term, coordinated efforts needed to build a truly competitive and resilient sector capable of competing against the Chinese. We hope we are wrong.
Leave a Reply