By the authority vested in me as President by the Structure and the legal guidelines of the USA of America, together with part 232 of the Commerce Growth Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) (Commerce Growth Act), it’s hereby ordered:
Part 1. Coverage. Copper is a essential materials important to the nationwide safety, financial power, and industrial resilience of the USA. Copper, scrap copper, and copper’s spinoff merchandise play an important function in protection functions, infrastructure, and rising applied sciences, together with clear vitality, electrical autos, and superior electronics. The US faces important vulnerabilities within the copper provide chain, with rising reliance on overseas sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper.
The US has ample copper reserves, but our smelting and refining capability lags considerably behind world rivals. A single overseas producer dominates world copper smelting and refining, controlling over 50 p.c of world smelting capability and holding 4 of the highest 5 largest refining amenities. This dominance, coupled with world overcapacity and a single producer’s management of world provide chains, poses a direct risk to United States nationwide safety and financial stability.
It’s the coverage of the USA to make sure a dependable, safe, and resilient home copper provide chain. The United States’ rising dependence on overseas sources of copper, notably from a concentrated variety of provider nations, together with the danger of overseas market manipulation, necessitate motion below part 232 of the Commerce Growth Act to find out whether or not imports of copper, scrap copper, and copper’s spinoff merchandise threaten to impair nationwide safety.
Sec. 2. Investigation Into the Nationwide Safety Influence of Copper Imports. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall provoke an investigation below part 232 of the Commerce Growth Act to find out the results on nationwide safety of imports of copper in all types, together with however not restricted to:
(i) uncooked mined copper;
(ii) copper concentrates;
(iii) refined copper;
(iv) copper alloys;
(v) scrap copper; and
(vi) spinoff merchandise.
(b) In conducting the investigation described in subsection (a) of this part, the Secretary of Commerce shall assess the components set forth in 19 U.S.C. 1862(d), labeled “Home manufacturing for nationwide protection; affect of overseas competitors on financial welfare of home industries,” in addition to different related components, together with:
(i) the present and projected demand for copper in United States protection, vitality, and important infrastructure sectors;
(ii) the extent to which home manufacturing, smelting, refining, and recycling can meet demand;
(iii) the function of overseas provide chains, notably from main exporters, in assembly United States demand;
(iv) the focus of United States copper imports from a small variety of suppliers and the related dangers;
(v) the affect of overseas authorities subsidies, overcapacity, and predatory commerce practices on United States business competitiveness;
(vi) the financial affect of artificially suppressed copper costs as a consequence of dumping and state-sponsored overproduction;
(vii) the potential for export restrictions by overseas nations, together with the flexibility of overseas nations to weaponize their management over refined copper provides;
(viii) the feasibility of accelerating home copper mining, smelting, and refining capability to scale back import reliance; and
(ix) the affect of present commerce insurance policies on home copper manufacturing and whether or not further measures, together with tariffs or quotas, are essential to guard nationwide safety.
Sec. 3. Required Actions. (a) The Secretary of Commerce shall seek the advice of with the Secretary of Protection, the Secretary of the Inside, the Secretary of Vitality, and the heads of different related government departments and businesses as decided by the Secretary of Commerce to judge the nationwide safety dangers related to copper import dependency.
(b) Inside 270 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Commerce shall submit a report back to the President that features:
(i) findings on whether or not United States dependence on copper imports threatens nationwide safety;
(ii) suggestions on actions to mitigate such threats, together with potential tariffs, export controls, or incentives to extend home manufacturing; and
(iii) coverage suggestions for strengthening the USA copper provide chain by means of strategic investments, allowing reforms, and enhanced recycling initiatives.
Sec. 4. Common Provisions. (a) Nothing on this order shall be construed to impair or in any other case have an effect on:
(i) the authority granted by legislation to an government division or company, or the top thereof; or
(ii) the features of the Director of the Workplace of Administration and Funds referring to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be carried out per relevant legislation and topic to the provision of appropriations.
(c) This order isn’t supposed to, and doesn’t, create any proper or profit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at legislation or in fairness by any occasion in opposition to the USA, its departments, businesses, or entities, its officers, staff, or brokers, or another individual.
THE WHITE HOUSE,
February 25, 2025.
Source link