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Rare earth elements are not particularly rare at all, but economically exploitable concentrations take some exploring to find. We likely have enough rare earths within the lower 48 to feed our appetites for the majority of the seventeen elements for hundreds of years, but the tree kissers among us have a strong disliking for anything "mining" and "smelting". Other countries also supply our appetite for rare earths but the Chinese came to be giants in the market because they don't give a rip about environmentally sound mining and smelling practices. Like a billion Clinton's, they just want the money honey.

The US and Europe grew dependent upon them in the supply of rare earths as well as many other things because we are lazy and we don't want or need to jump through the regulatory hoops to get the mines opened and the ores smelted here in America. The environmental laws have stopped the mining and smelting in America but they haven't "Saved the planet" at all. The regulations have pushed the extraction and smelting into someone else's backyard, where environmental concerns are far less stringent and the poisoning of waterways and groundwater are distant concerns over the money to be made with centuries old practices.

The discovery off Marcus Island is good because it puts China on notice that the civilized world can find workarounds to their efforts to manipulate markets. The US also needs to make a big push to develop our own resources. The enviro-nuts will be making the same old tired screaming noises and the regulations which strangled domestic basic industries will be exploited again by the moneyed libtard lawyers, hoping for the same result. We need to go toe to toe with them and show that technology can limit or mitigate environmental damage. Every mine will be a retirement plan for the lawyers obstructing development until we act to make basic extractive industry a part of a national priority.