Posted on 04/20/2025 1:52:29 PM PDT by SoConPubbie
Today, the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) announced increased transparency, accountability, and predictability for the permitting review process for the first wave of critical mineral production projects—with many more projects on the way—in response to President Trump’s Executive Order, Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production. Identifying these transparency projects under the Permitting Council’s statutory program advances the President’s directive to take immediate action to facilitate domestic production of America’s vast mineral resources to create jobs, fuel prosperity, and significantly reduce our reliance on foreign nations.
“This is the first use of the Permitting Council’s transparency authority, and we look forward to showcasing the many benefits the Federal Permitting Dashboard can bring to critical infrastructure projects as part of President Trump’s Executive Order on increasing American mineral production,” said Manisha Patel, Acting Executive Director at the Permitting Council. “The Federal Permitting Dashboard is a vital tool in enhancing interagency coordination and efficient decision making and will play an invaluable role in ensuring that these projects receive the most efficient review and authorization process possible in order to bring the benefits of next generation infrastructure to communities across the nation.”
In response to the Immediate Measures to Increase American Mineral Production Executive Order, the chair of the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC) submitted the first in a series of lists of mineral production projects to be identified as transparency projects on the Federal Permitting Dashboard to the Permitting Council Acting Executive Director. This is just the beginning—many more projects are expected to be added to the list on a rolling basis over the next few weeks. Inclusion on the Permitting Dashboard as a transparency project makes the environmental review and authorizations schedule for these vital mineral production projects publicly available and allows all of these projects to benefit from increased transparency. The public nature of the dashboard ensures that all stakeholders, from project sponsors and community members to federal agency leaders have up-to-date accounting of where each project stands in the review process. This transparency leads to greater accountability, ensuring a more efficient process.
Initial selected projects include:
• Resolution Copper Project
• Stibnite Gold Project
• Warrior Met Coal Mines
• McDermitt Exploration Project
• South West Arkansas Project
• Caldwell Canyon Mine Project
• Libby Exploration Project
• Lisbon Valley Copper Project
• Silver Peak Lithium Mine
• Michigan Potash
For further information about these projects, please visit Federal Permitting Dashboard’s Transparency Projects Tab. Learn more about the Permitting Council at permitting.gov.
I wonder if I should unretire? Resolution Copper isn’t that far from here.
BUT this doesn't address rare earth elements (REE). REEs are split into two category, heavy and light. Heavy REEs (e.g., dysprosium, terbium) are less abundant, harder to process, and almost entirely refined in China (100% of global heavy REE processing). Light REEs (e.g., neodymium, praseodymium) are more abundant, with some U.S. production, but still heavily reliant on Chinese processing.
China restricted the export of seven medium and heavy REEs on April 4. These are particularly critical for defense and high-tech applications:
The U.S. has 1.3% of global REE reserves (2.3 million tonnes of rare earth oxide equivalent), compared to China’s 34% (44 million tonnes). While U.S. deposits exist, they are smaller and often low-grade, making extraction costlier.
The Mountain Pass Mine in California is the only operational U.S. REE mine, owned by MP Materials. It produces ~15% of global REEs (mostly light REEs like neodymium, praseodymium). In 2024, it supplied ~26 kilotons but lacks capacity to process heavy REEs, sending 98% of its ore to China in 2019. As of April 2025, MP Materials stopped shipping ore to China due to export restrictions and 125% tariffs, processing half on-site and stockpiling the rest.
The U.S. has no commercial-scale heavy REE processing and limited light REE refining. MP Materials is building a magnet factory in Texas, but it’s not yet operational for heavy REEs.
Sheep Creek, Montana has high-grade deposits of REEs and gallium and is aiming for production by Q1 2026.
The Wyoming Project (American Rare Earths) plans to open by 2029.
There are exploratory projects in Nebraska and Texas but no firm timelines.
Domestic production of Light REEs (e.g., neodymium) is viable with investment, as Mountain Pass demonstrates. Expanding capacity could reduce reliance on China for these within 5–10 years.
Replacing heavy REEs is nearly impossible short-term, as China and Myanmar control 100% of global supply. No U.S. facility can process dysprosium or terbium, and building such capacity requires decades due to technical complexity.
Australia (4.2 million tonnes reserves), Brazil, and Vietnam could supply REEs, but their processing often relies on China. “Friendshoring” (e.g., with Canada, Australia) is a Biden-era strategy, but scaling takes 1–5 years.
With the list you have posted all I see is opportunity for the American “Can Do” attitude.
Some “American can do” is possible, yes. But without REE reserves it’s hard to “can-do.” And, what’s the plan to fill the five to ten year shortfall with no reserves and no processing capability?
U.S. Geological Survey Rare Earth Elements from https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/rare-earths-statistics-and-information.
But look at the time difference to open a new mine in the USA vs. China below. This is where Musk could cut through the crap and cut the USA time in half (maybe, without Democrats shutting it all down in the future):
| Time Element | USA (Years) | China (Years) |
|---|---|---|
| Exploration | 5-10 | 3-5 |
| Permitting | 7-10 | 2-4 |
| Financing | 3-5 | 1-3 |
| Construction | 3-7 | 3-5 |
| Ramp-Up | 1-3 | 1-2 |
| Total | ~29 | ~10-15 |
The closest Alaska island to the state of Washington was supposed to be loaded with rare earths. Supposedly it had the backing of the Pentagon and then information on it just ended. Why?
Prince of Wales Island, located in Southeast Alaska, is the closest significant Alaskan island to Washington State. It lies ~500 miles northwest of Washington’s border, accessible via Ketchikan (30 miles away).Prince of Wales Island is consistently cited in geological surveys as a key location in Southeast Alaska’s REE-rich Alexander terrane at Bokan Mountain with additional prospects nearby. Bokan Mountain is on the Dotson Ridge within the Tongass National Forest. It has a well-characterized REE deposit with 5 million metric tons of indicated resource averaging 0.6% total rare earth oxides. Notably, ~40% are heavy REEs (e.g., dysprosium, terbium, yttrium), which are scarce and valuable for high-temperature magnets, EVs, and defense applications.
As usual, conservationists say that mining in Tongass National Forest threatens salmon ecosystems. Ucore plans to cement paste tailings aims to mitigate pollution, but risks persist.
USGS and Alaska promote Bokan as a solution to Chinese dependency, but the narrative downplays processing gaps (no U.S. HREE refining) and environmental trade-offs, echoing Mountain Pass’s 2002 closure due to similar issues.
Ucore Rare Metals Inc. is advancing the Bokan-Dotson Ridge project, with a preliminary economic assessment (2013) estimating an 11-year mine life and a 1,500 ton/day processing plant. Exploration permits were granted in 2013, and a $145 million bond passed in 2014 to fund infrastructure, though no firm opening date is set (potentially post-2025).
Annette Island is South of Prince of Wales, closer to Ketchikan, and it was sampled in 2012 by DGGS, showing REE potential in rock samples. It’s less characterized than Bokan Mountain and not as prominent. Revillagigedo Island near Ketchikan is geologically similar but lacks specific REE deposit data in the provided sources. The Aleutian Islands are farther to the westwest (e.g., Unga Island) but have minimal REE data. Small-scale gold/silver mining is established there.
Bokan Mountain’s high HREE ratio (40%) is unusual in the United States making it a strategic asset amid China’s ~70% REE import dominance and 2025 export restrictions. Its proximity to Ketchikan’s port aids logistics compared to remote Alaskan sites.
Opening a new mine could take 10–29 years due to U.S. permitting (NEPA, 7–10 years), environmental concerns (thorium waste), and financing ($500M–$1B). Ucore’s progress (e.g., RapidSX separation tech) and Pentagon interest suggest a faster timeline (~2026–2029), but delays are likely. I hope President Trump can cut through this BS.
This is not comforting:
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-global-rare-earth-metals-production-1995-2023/
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