HOUSTON, March 10 (Reuters) - Freeport-McMoRan ( FCX )

hopes U.S. President Donald Trump declares copper to be a

critical mineral when he announces his plan to boost American

mining, CEO Kathleen Quirk said on Monday.

Trump told the U.S. Congress last week he would "take

historic action to dramatically expand production of critical

minerals."

Fifty minerals, but not copper, are considered critical by

the U.S. Geological Survey. Adding that metal would help

Freeport generate more than $500 million annually in tax credits

tied to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act, Quirk told Reuters on

the sidelines of the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston.