Energy Dept. Now Betting $134M on Recycling Rare Earth Minerals to Shore Up Domestic Reserves

Rare earth minerals are a vital strategic resource, one which we have been reliant on China for, despite having ample supplies of our own. The Trump administration sure seems to be pulling out all the stops to rectify that, including placing a $134 million bet on recovering and refining these materials from what was once considered mining waste.

The U.S. Energy Department is making up to $134 million available to projects that demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining rare earths originating from mine tailings, discarded electronics and other waste materials, according to a Dec. 1 press release.
The department launched the Notice of Funding Opportunity as another step in the Trump administration’s effort to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals essential to military and domestic industries, per the release.
“We have these resources here at home, but years of complacency ceded America’s mining and industrial base to other nations,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

We have these resources here at home, but it's not just complacency; there's a good argument to be made that it was deliberate malfeasance on the part of the Biden and Obama administrations that has resulted in the United States depending on China for many of these minerals.

Alaska, Montana Mines Now Prioritized, Boosting US Mineral Independence

The interesting thing about this latest initiative is that it is a sort of recycling effort. The left likes recycling, don't they? The DOE's press release states in part:

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) today announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for up to $134 million to enhance domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs). Through this funding, DOE will support projects that demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining REEs from unconventional feedstocks including mine tailings, e-waste, and other waste materials. These efforts will reduce America’s dependence on foreign sources, strengthen national security, and promote American energy independence.

And:

REEs, such as Praseodymium, Neodymium, Terbium and Dysprosium, are vital components in advanced manufacturing, defense systems, and high-performance magnets used in power generation and electric motors. By investing in domestic REE recovery and processing, DOE is working to secure America’s energy independence, strengthen economic competitiveness, and ensure long-term resilience in the nation’s supply chains.

In simple English, the DOE appears to be taking a shotgun approach; literally no stone will be left unturned in our effort to ensure domestic supplies of these strategic minerals.

While $134 million is a lot of taxpayer money, it's important to note that this isn't just a matter of economic value. This is also a matter of national security. Military logistics alone, specifically our ability to build aircraft, vehicles, weapons, and so forth, is hampered by the supply (or lack thereof) of these minerals. At present, we are importing roughly 70 percent of our supply of rare earth minerals from China. That's not a good place for the United States to be, given China's increasingly bellicose attitude and its increasing military activity in the Western Pacific.

One of the federal government's legitimate roles, after all, is national security. If this effort could result in economically viable recovery of these vital materials, then it will end up being worth the investment.

Editor’s Note: Thanks to President Trump’s leadership and bold policies, America’s economy is back on track.

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