Molycorp
China pulled a standard oil and sold REEs below market to make certain companies like Molycorp could not compete in the U.S., Some-ting you can do when you are a command economy protecting your monopoly. (That, coupled with Hostility to any mining in Liberal states like CA discouraged REE mining.)
Note that a lot of the managment in Molycorp (which is now partly owned by China) are attempting to open a Mine targeting Niobium and Scandium in Elk Creek NE. (Niocorp, Niobf). Because China has no Scandium mines They can’t sell scandium below market. (Scandium can be somthing like $1500 to $2500 a kilogram. Used to create a weldable aluminum alloy with about 30% reduction in weight.)
Texas Mineral Recources, TMRC has an REE mining site in S/w Texas, Medallion REsources, MLLOF is attemting to process REES from Monzanite sands from the southern U.S., UCcore, UURAF, is trying to mine the Bokan Ridge (?) in Southeast Alaska.
Bkmk
Hi Pete, thank you for those details and sources. I worked in Supplier QA years ago in Defense and this was an important topic. I need to catch up but thankful this administration has made it a priority.