Insight - Helium Omission from Draft USGS Critical Minerals List
AUG 2025
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released its draft 2025 List of Critical Minerals, naming 54 commodities of strategic importance to the United States. This is the most substantial revision since the list’s inception, guided by new modeling on economic disruption and supply chain risks.
The revised draft adds copper, silver, potash, silicon, rhenium, and lead, and removes arsenic and tellurium. The adjustments signal closer alignment of U.S. resource policy with electrification and industrial supply chains. A glaring omission remains: helium.
Why the Omission Matters - Designation as a “critical mineral” carries significant weight. It can: (i) unlock access to federal funding, R&D grants, and tax incentives; (ii) enable streamlined permitting for new projects; and (iii) shape U.S. trade policy, stockpiling, and investment priorities. Helium’s exclusion from the list ensures helium project will not benefit from these pathways.
Why Helium is Critical - Helium is indispensable for a range of strategic uses, including semiconductor manufacturing, MRI, space exploration, fiber optics, defense systems, and quantum computing. The sale and depletion of the Federal Helium Reserve, and concentration of supply in a handful of countries underscore helium’s supply chain fragility in the US. Its unique properties cannot be substituted. Helium is already central to semiconductor resilience (a declared national priority), and so its absence from the list suggests a misalignment between federal resource policy and broader industrial strategy.
Opportunity for Comment - The draft list is not final. A public comment period is open until September 25, 2025, offering stakeholders, researchers, and policymakers the chance to advocate for helium’s inclusion.
Strategic Signal – At Edelgas we believe helium’s omission underscores the need for sustained industry advocacy and guidance of policymakers. Helium is not just a commodity, it is an enabler of cutting-edge technologies, U.S. national security, and scientific advancement. Without recognition as a critical mineral, the U.S. risks overlooking helium at a moment when its importance is greater than ever.
Edelgas Group advises on the sourcing, supply, and pricing of helium and other rare gases, and related project development and deal structuring. Please email our team at pfinan@edelgasgroup.com or info@edelgasgroup.com
This insight does not constitute legal advice and is subject to input from a lawyer.