Critical Minerals / Mining

Where it stands

Each step compares the last four complete quarters with the two years before. A theme usually moves left to right: companies push, Congress and the White House act, the government buys, and markets respond.

1. 1. Companies pushing
   Rising

   357 companies and groups lobbied on it in Q2 2026, against 251 a year earlier.

2. 2. Congress
   Steady

   17 bills introduced and 0 became law in the last four quarters, against 20 and 1 a year before that.

3. 3. White House and agencies
   Rising

   0 proposed rules, 1 final rule and 3 presidential actions in the last four quarters, against 2 a year before that.

4. 4. Government buying
   Rising

   173 purchase plans and award notices in the last four quarters, against 138 a year before that (records start October 2023).

5. 5. Markets
   Falling

   2 insider purchases in the theme's companies in the last four quarters, against 6 a year before that. Their stocks: -11% over the same year, against +14% for the S&P 500. Among the 50 largest holdings of the funds we track, these stocks were worth $3.3B at the end of Q1 2026, against $937.0M a year earlier; the figure moves with prices and with how many funds rank them that high.

The setup

The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, driven by presidential directives that open vast tracts of federal land for mining and invoke the Defense Production Act. This push is backed by significant federal contracts and grants aimed at bolstering domestic extraction and processing capabilities, particularly for materials vital to defense and energy sectors. The actions reveal a coordinated strategy to reduce reliance on foreign sources and build a resilient domestic supply chain.

How this developed

1. Dec 19, 2025NOAA awards NV5 GEOSPATIAL $12M for hydrographic survey services in American Samoa, citing EO 14285 on offshore critical minerals.Federal contract
2. Feb 19, 2026DLA awards RIO TINTO SERVICES INC $24.8M for Scandium Oxide Task Order Two.Federal contract
3. Jun 29, 2026DLA awards GLENCORE LTD. $240.3M for Cobalt Delivery Order 2.Federal contract
4. Jul 13, 2026Presidential Proclamation modifies Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, reducing its size by ~1.69M acres and opening lands for critical mineral development.Executive action
5. Jul 13, 2026Presidential Proclamation modifies Bears Ears National Monument, reducing its size by ~1.24M acres and freeing lands for mining and energy development.Executive action
6. Jul 30, 2026Presidential Memorandum invokes DPA Section 101 for recoverable critical minerals, directing Commerce to expand domestic recovery and processing.Executive action
7. Sep 9, 2026DOE awards SWA LITHIUM LLC $889M grant for a direct lithium extraction facility in Arkansas.Federal contract

The full story, year by year

* Year to date. Lobbying is the most companies and groups naming the theme in any one quarter. Insider buys are officer and director open-market purchases in MP, USAR, CRML, PPTA, NB. Fund holdings are the value of these companies among the top 50 positions of the funds whose 13F filings we track, at the latest quarter of each year. Stock returns are an equal-weight basket of the same companies with prices on file, split-adjusted, without dividends, against the S&P 500 over the same quarters.

• Lobbying before 2025 comes from filings that name the theme; the full lobbying archive is still loading.
• Lobbying reports for Q3 2026 are still being filed, so the comparison uses Q2 2026.

Why it matters

• Presidential proclamations (E7, E8) on July 13, 2026, collectively opened approximately 2.93 million acres of federal land for potential mining and energy development, specifically citing critical minerals like uranium, cobalt, and copper.
• The invocation of the Defense Production Act (DPA) on July 30, 2026 (E9), for recoverable critical minerals like black mass and rare-earth magnets, grants the Secretary of Commerce authority for priority contracts and supply-chain interventions, signaling a direct federal push for domestic recycling and processing.
• Significant federal funding, including a $240.3M DLA contract for cobalt (E6) and an $889M DOE grant for lithium extraction (E11), demonstrates a multi-agency commitment to securing specific critical mineral supplies and building domestic processing capacity.
• The explicit mention of critical minerals in EO 14285 (E4) and the subsequent contract for offshore surveys indicate a broadening scope of domestic sourcing to include marine environments.

Companies exposed to this theme

The record · 7 items, oldest first

• Dec 19, 2025Federal contractNV5 GEOSPATIAL, INC.: PER EO 14285 UNLEASHING AMERICA'S OFFSHORE CRITICAL MINERALS AND RESOURCES & THE HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT - NOS/OCS/HSD HYDROGR
• Feb 19, 2026Federal contractRIO TINTO SERVICES INC: SCANDIUM OXIDE TASK ORDER TWO
• Jun 29, 2026Federal contractGLENCORE LTD.: COBALT DELIVERY ORDER 2
• Jul 13, 2026Executive actionProclamation: Modifying the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
• Jul 13, 2026Executive actionProclamation: Modifying the Bears Ears National Monument
• Jul 30, 2026Executive actionPresidential Memorandum: Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 101 of the Defense Production Act of 1950, as Amended, on Recoverable Critical Minerals and Materials
• Sep 9, 2026Federal contractSWA LITHIUM LLC: $889M Department of Energy Grant

Some keyword matches were judged unrelated to this theme and are excluded from the record above.

How this story evolved

• Oct 16, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal120 recordslatest record Oct 13, 2026

  Presidential actions open millions of acres for mining, DPA invoked for critical mineral recovery, and billions flow to domestic supply.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, driven by presidential directives that open vast tracts of federal land for mining and invoke the Defense Production Act. This push is backed by significant federal contracts and grants aimed at bolstering domestic extraction and processing capabilities, particularly for materials vital to defense and energy sectors. The actions reveal a coordinated strategy to reduce reliance on foreign sources and build a resilient domestic supply chain.

• Oct 15, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal253 recordslatest record Oct 13, 2026

  Presidential actions open 2.9M acres for mining, DPA invoked for critical mineral recovery, and DOE funds rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily through executive actions that open federal lands to mining and invoke the Defense Production Act for mineral recovery. This push is complemented by significant research funding aimed at developing advanced material capabilities. The sequence of events reveals a coordinated effort to reduce reliance on foreign sources for essential materials.

• Oct 14, 2026, 5:15 AM ETreal118 recordslatest record Oct 13, 2026

  Presidential actions unlock 3M+ acres for mining, DPA invoked for critical mineral recovery, and DOE funds rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily by reducing regulatory hurdles for mining and incentivizing domestic recovery. This effort is driven by both legislative action and significant executive orders, with a clear focus on national security and economic independence. The most impactful actions include the modification of national monuments to open land for extraction and the invocation of the Defense Production Act for critical mineral recovery.

• Oct 13, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal116 recordslatest record Oct 13, 2026

  Executive orders open 2.9M acres for mining, while DPA invoked for critical mineral recovery and DOE funds rare-earth research.

  The US government is actively pursuing a strategy to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, driven by both legislative efforts to ease mining regulations and executive actions to open federal lands and invoke defense authorities. This push began with procedural bills but rapidly escalated with presidential proclamations reducing national monuments and a Defense Production Act determination for critical mineral recovery.

• Oct 12, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal113 recordslatest record Oct 8, 2026

  Executive orders open 2.9M acres for mining, followed by DPA order for critical mineral recovery and $1.15B DOE rare-earth research.

  The US government is actively working to increase domestic critical mineral supply and reduce regulatory hurdles for mining. This effort is spearheaded by executive actions opening federal lands for development and leveraging the Defense Production Act for mineral recovery, complemented by significant research funding. The sequence of events reveals a coordinated push to secure the critical mineral supply chain.

• Oct 11, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal254 recordslatest record Oct 9, 2026

  DOD and DOE accelerate critical mineral initiatives, with DPA invoked for domestic recovery and monument lands opened for mining.

  The US government is actively pursuing a strategy to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, driven by both defense and economic security concerns. This initiative involves opening federal lands previously protected as national monuments for potential mining and invoking the Defense Production Act to boost domestic recovery and processing of these vital materials. The Department of Energy is also investing heavily in rare-earth research to support this push.

• Oct 10, 2026, 5:13 AM ETreal117 recordslatest record Oct 9, 2026

  Presidential actions open 3 million acres for mining, followed by DPA order for critical mineral recovery and $1.15B DOE rare-earth research award.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies and reduce regulatory hurdles for mining. This push began with legislative efforts to streamline permitting and clarify mining rights, but significantly accelerated with executive actions in mid-2026 that opened vast tracts of federal land for development. The strategy now includes direct DPA intervention for mineral recovery and substantial R&D investment.

• Oct 9, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal256 recordslatest record Oct 8, 2026

  DOD and DOE accelerate critical mineral initiatives, with DPA invoked for domestic recovery and monument lands opened for mining.

  The US government is rapidly advancing its critical minerals strategy, driven by national security concerns and economic independence. This initiative began with targeted sourcing requests for specific materials and has escalated to presidential actions that open vast tracts of land for mining and invoke the Defense Production Act to secure domestic recovery and processing capabilities. The Department of Defense and Department of Energy are leading these efforts, signaling a comprehensive push to control the critical mineral supply chain.

• Oct 8, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal250 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  Presidential actions open 2.9M acres for mining, followed by DPA order for critical mineral recovery and $1.15B DOE rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily by opening vast tracts of federal land for mining and leveraging the Defense Production Act. This push began with targeted procurement notices for specific minerals and accelerated dramatically with presidential proclamations reducing national monuments. The strategy now includes significant investment in domestic recovery and research.

• Oct 7, 2026, 5:41 AM ETreal253 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  Presidential proclamations open 2.9M acres for mining, followed by DPA order for critical mineral recovery and $1.15B for rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily through opening federal lands for mining and invoking the Defense Production Act for material recovery. This push is driven by national security concerns and the need to reduce reliance on foreign sources for essential materials. The sequence of events reveals a coordinated strategy to boost both primary extraction and recycling capabilities.

• Oct 6, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal850 recordslatest record Oct 6, 2026

  Executive orders open 3M acres for mining, followed by DPA action on critical mineral recycling and $1.15B for rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily by opening federal lands to mining and accelerating the recycling of existing materials. This push is driven by a series of legislative efforts to reduce regulatory burdens and high-level executive actions, including presidential proclamations and a Defense Production Act determination. The sequence of events reveals a coordinated strategy to boost domestic extraction and processing capabilities.

• Oct 5, 2026, 5:14 AM ETreal157 recordslatest record Oct 2, 2026

  Executive orders open 3M+ acres for mining, followed by DPA action on critical mineral recovery and $1.15B DOE rare-earth research.

  The US government is aggressively moving to secure domestic critical mineral supplies, primarily by opening federal lands to mining and accelerating the recovery of materials from existing waste streams. This push is driven by executive actions that reduce environmental protections and invoke defense authorities, alongside significant federal investment in research and development. The sequence of events reveals a coordinated effort to boost domestic production and reduce reliance on foreign sources.