President Donald Trump is taking a step toward granting the U.S. mining industry’s biggest wishes by singling out one metal as a focus of his domestic minerals policy: copper. From talk of acquiring Greenland and its vast mineral wealth to prodding Ukraine for minerals in exchange for help fending off Russia's invasion,

An executive order mandates a review of the threats posed by over-reliance on foreign copper, and recommendations for increasing domestic supply.

The White House suggested Tuesday there is a strong case for copper import protections because the metal is an essential component of military hardware.