New Rare-Earth Mine in Wyoming Challenges China’s Dominance
The first new U.S. rare-earth mine in 70 years broke ground this month in Wyoming.
Ramaco Brook Mine, which contains 1.7 million tons of rare earth minerals, is a “groundbreaking discovery” that “marks a turning point for America,” the Department of Energy announced.
According to a press release from Ramaco, the company that owns the mine, “[t]he Brook Mine project represents a strategic milestone in the nation’s efforts to reduce foreign reliance on critical minerals essential to defense, technology, and clean energy.”
Currently, China provides almost 90% of rare-earth minerals in the world.
The mine’s groundbreaking is the latest effort by the Trump administration to push for American energy dominance.
At a June event, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said, “We believe in American energy production. We’re proud to get American energy production. We’re forever going to be committed to American energy production.”
The Wyoming mine’s potential to reduce reliance on foreign sources drew Wright to its groundbreaking ceremony along with other notable Wyoming leaders, including Gov. Mike Gordon, Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, and Rep. Harriet Hageman.
Barrasso wrote for The Daily Signal that “Wyoming is America’s energy breadbasket. It’s where America’s energy future begins.”
In a separate development, another mining company said the Department of Defense purchased $400 million of its stocks to reduce foreign dependence. MP Materials owns the only operational rare-earth mine in the United States. Reducing foreign dependency is one of the goals of its partnership with the Defense Department.
“Rare-earth magnets are one of the most strategically important components in advanced technology systems spanning defense and commercial applications,” MP Materials said in a statement. “Yet today, the U.S. relies almost entirely on foreign sources.”
