Executive Order 13817, signed on December 20, 2017, directed federal agencies to develop a comprehensive strategy for securing domestic supplies of critical minerals deemed essential to national security and economic competitiveness. The Department of the Interior took the lead in identifying which minerals qualified as "critical," assessing vulnerabilities in the supply chain, and recommending pathways to reduce American dependence on foreign sources. The order specifically mandated expedited permitting processes for mining projects and directed agencies to streamline environmental review procedures that had previously slowed domestic extraction operations.

The most direct impacts fell on mining companies, federal land managers, and environmental review processes. Mining operations seeking permits for critical mineral extraction on federal lands experienced accelerated approval timelines as agencies compressed environmental assessments and public comment periods. Communities near proposed mining sites, environmental organizations, and indigenous tribes with land interests faced compressed opportunities to raise concerns about water contamination, habitat disruption, and other ecological consequences. Consumers ultimately felt effects through downstream industries dependent on rare earth elements, cobalt, and lithium for electronics, defense systems, and renewable energy technologies.

This executive order planted an early seed in Trump's broader economic nationalism strategy, later amplified through the trade deficit emergency declarations and tariff regimes implemented in 2026. The push for domestic mineral self-sufficiency aligned with concurrent efforts to reduce import dependence through tariffs and trade restrictions, as seen in the Temporary Import Surcharge proclamation and the suspension of duty-free de minimis treatment. Rather than relying on international supply chains, the administration positioned domestic resource extraction as central to economic sovereignty and national security.

Litigation over specific mining permits proceeded in federal courts on environmental grounds, with plaintiffs challenging whether compressed review periods adequately addressed impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act. No blanket legal block emerged against the executive order itself, though individual project approvals faced ongoing legal challenges from conservation groups and affected communities.