rare earth elements - North American Mining Magazine

DOE to support two REE projects set to bolster domestic supply chain

June 7, 2026June 5, 2026 Francesca Mills

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation announced $134 million for two projects that will strengthen domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs). These projects will demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining REEs from unconventional feedstocks, including mine tailings and electronic waste. “To achieve energy independence, the United States needs to find…

Elk Creek mine portal construction starts

March 4, 2026April 8, 2026 NAM Staff

Colorado-based NioCorp, owner of the Elk Creek critical minerals project in southeastern Nebraska, has kicked off construction for the site’s main access to the mine’s underground portion. With detailed engineering well underway and construction equipment mobilized to the site near Elk Creek, NioCorp has started work on the $44.6 million section of the project. The portal will serve as the…

Ramaco Resources to create Strategic Critical Minerals Terminal

October 31, 2025December 4, 2025 NAM Staff

Ramaco Resources will establish a national strategic stockpile of rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals at its Brook mine facility in Wyoming. The Strategic Critical Minerals Terminal (SCMT) will position Ramaco as the most comprehensive, vertically integrated upstream, midstream and downstream producer of critical minerals and REEs in the United States. The SCMT stockpile will provide long-term strategic stockpiling,…

Virginia Tech professor explains why rare earths are so vital

September 2, 2025September 2, 2025 NAM Staff

While rare earth elements are “essential ingredients for our modern lives,” up to 82% of rare earth elements are imported from other countries, notes Aaron Noble, Virginia Tech professor and head of the Department of Mining and Minerals Engineering and interim head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. Why are these rare earth elements so critical to modern…

A moment in time for rare earths

August 13, 2025August 13, 2025 Donna Schmidt

It seems like the topic of rare earth elements has been buzzing at its peak for a while now. While some of that conversation has come from the government via regulatory chatter and the “we-said, they-said” of what the future supply chain will look like – and cost – the tone has changed significantly in the past several months following…

Blue Evolution launches Orca Minerals

May 29, 2025May 29, 2025 NAM Staff

The new initiative builds on a decade of seaweed infrastructure to deliver mineral sourcing via photosynthetic systems. In response to the growing global urgency around strategic mineral supply, Blue Evolution has launched Orca Minerals: the first U.S.-based platform to deliver regenerative biomining of critical minerals using cultivated seaweed. “Orca’s platform spans both offshore and controlled onshore cultivation, tailored to species,…

Lynas seeks U.S. help with costs of Texas project

April 30, 2025April 30, 2025 NAM Staff

Lynas Rare Earths chief executive said the company is in talks with the U.S. government over additional capital costs it could face as it builds a rare earth processing facility in Seadrift, Texas, reported The Wall Street Journal. In 2023, Lynas secured $258 million in financing from the Pentagon for the project, but says wastewater management issues have added to…

Rare earth revolution

January 2, 2025January 2, 2025 Donna Schmidt

A coal miner turned rare earth behemoth? It’s no exaggeration. Ramaco Resources, with a pocket full of productive and safe coal operations in Appalachia, took a chance on a Wyoming property that may ultimately produce an enormous payday for Ramaco, as a result of an enormous rare earth find beneath the surface. NAM talks to Ramaco’s Chairman, CEO and Founder…

Ramaco’s Brook mine deemed commercially, technically feasible

December 10, 2024December 10, 2024 NAM Staff

A newly released independent interim techno-economic report by Fluor has revealed that Ramaco Resources’ Brook mine in Wyoming – acquired as a coal operation but found to be prolific for rare earth elements – is both commercially and technically feasible. Ramaco is hoping to extract valuable rare earth elements (REEs) and critical minerals from unconventional coal and carbonaceous ore deposits…

State of the REE industry

August 13, 2024August 13, 2024 Jonathan Rowland

North American Mining reviews the current state and recent developments in the North American rare earth elements industry, highlighting its potential for growth and innovation. By Jonathan Rowland Rare earth elements (REEs) are a set of 17 metallic elements that are essential components in more than 200 products across a wide range of applications, especially in high-tech consumer products, such…