HOUSTON, July 31 (Argus) - US President Donald Trump has authorized his Commerce Secretary to impose export restrictions on "recyclable critical minerals and materials" to enhance domestic supply necessary for national defense interests.
Trump, based on the authority granted by Section 101 of the 1950 Defense Production Act, issued a memorandum and subsequent explanatory documents on Thursday, specifically mentioning black mass, scrapped permanent magnets made from rare earths, and other electronic waste (such as lithium-ion batteries).
However, Trump did not completely rule out the possibility of restrictions on the export of aluminum, titanium and other metal waste, depending on how the White House defines "critical minerals". Copper waste is excluded from this directive as the Commerce Department had previously recommended imposing restrictions on high-purity copper grades in a 2025 announcement.
Nevertheless, no trade actions have been implemented as of the time of this report. The Commerce Department's decision on which critical minerals to impose export restrictions on or how to implement these restrictions remains unclear at present.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment before the release.
