Addressing the Threat to National Security From Imports of Copper

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Summary

Section 1 . Policy. Copper is a critical material essential to the national security, economic strength, and industrial resilience of the United States. Copper, scrap copper, and copper's derivative products play a vital role in defense applications, infrastructure, and emerging technologies, including clean energy, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics. The United States faces significant vulnerabilities in the copper supply chain, with increasing reliance on foreign sources for mined, smelted, and refined copper. The United States has ample copper reserves, yet our smelting and refining capacity lags significantly behind global competitors. A single foreign producer dominates global…