First U.S. Rare Earth Mine In 70 Years Opens In Wyoming

RANCHESTER — U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright touted the importance of coal and Wyoming on Friday at the ribbon cutting for Brook Mine, the first U.S. rare earth mine in 70 years and the state’s first new coal mine in decades.

He said developments like the Brook Mine are critical for breaking U.S. dependence on China for supplying the critical minerals used in everything from fighter jets to wind turbines. 

Speaking to about 220 people gathered at Ramaco Resources' facility between Ranchester and Sheridan, Wright said it’s time for America to dominate rare earth development.

“Anything in your life that has a button, you start your car with the button or your dishwasher or your refrigerator, your washing machine, your F-35 fighter jet — all of those things have rare earth elements playing a critical role in the design and the operation of those products,” he said. “It's an industry that infiltrates everything with a button, which in a modern world is almost everything.”

The ceremony marked the opening of not only the first new rare earth element mine on American soil in more than seven decades, but also the first new coal mine in Wyoming in nearly 50 years.

The operation will extract rare earth elements directly from coal, creating what officials called a "twofer" for American energy independence.

Wright emphasized the strategic importance of breaking China's dominance in rare earth processing. 

"That industry today is completely dominated by China. Completely," he said. "They don't mine all of it, but even the stuff that's mined elsewhere” has to be processed in China.

It’s that country’s goal to “have a purposeful effort to completely control that industry."

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, I-West Virginia, who is now a board member of Ramaco Resources, praised President Donald Trump's support for coal mining communities. 

"I am proud to be part of this Ramaco board, this Ramaco family," Manchin said. "I've said, ‘I don't care whether you live in California, whether you think you hate coal or not, you better get on your knees and say a prayer for a coal miner and those who gave you the energy that you have today that you take for granted."

Delegation Delighted

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso said the nation can count on Wyoming.

"Here we have the cowboy code," he said. "Take pride in your work and do what needs to be done.

"You know, Ronald Reagan came to Wyoming in the '80s and he gave a speech and he said, the thing you loved about Wyoming in the Rocky Mountain West. He said, 'People here still believe the future is ours to shape.' And that's what we're seeing here today."

U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis emphasized Wyoming's historic role in mining, noting that the state's flag and seal bear the image of a miner. 

"That miner on that seal, on that flag for our state, is the reason we're here today," Lummis said. "The people of mining and the people that are here today recognizing how the rare earth minerals intertwined with this coal are going to bring about the great gold and renaissance of America."

"It is the dawn of a new era in American energy and a national security," added U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman.

"For over 70 years, the United States has relied almost entirely on foreign sources, particularly China, for critical minerals essential to our economic economy and defense," she said. "That defense, that dependency, is vulnerability. Today, that changes, thanks to the vision and leadership of Ramaco Resources.

"We are reclaiming our independence by tapping into the vast reserves of rare earth elements right beneath our feet, right here in Wyoming."

Hageman said the mine will improve America's supply chains and be an economic driver for Wyoming.

It will "create high-paying jobs, fuel economic growth in rural communities, reduce our dependance on China for refining and strengthen our national defense. It's vital for domestic magnet manufacturing," she said. "This means high-paying jobs for Wyoming families, economic opportunity in our rural communities, stronger supply chains and a more secure America.

"Refineries and magnet manufacturers will once again be able to call the U.S. home and minimize reliance on foreign adversaries. But we are not just strengthening our national security. We are becoming champions of abundance."

Interest From Japan

The event drew international attention, including from Ken Sakakibira, a reporter with the Japanese newspaper Asahi, who highlighted how his home country also is sensitive to China’s dominance over rare earth elements. 

“Originally, we saw a problem between China and the United States to try and create rare earth generation in the United States,” said Sakakibira. “So, it’s very interesting to see how things go.

“And Japan is also dependent on China, so we’re very interested to see how the United States try to tackle the situation.”

Later, during a tour of the Brook Mine, Sakakibira asked Wright how Japan and the U.S. can collaborate to create a new supply chain. 

“The original technology and the base of the technology to process rare earth elements came from the United States,” said Wright. “Their mining is large and their processing and final fabrication is even larger. They did this intentionally to create leverage over the world.

“And 15 years ago, they embargoed exporting rare earth elements to Japan. And they have flirted with doing the same thing today with the United States.”

Leading up to Friday’s ribbon-cutting, Wright took to X to praise the Wyoming project as “what may be the LARGEST unconventional rare earth deposit in America!”

He added that it’s “a pivotal discovery and declaration to reclaim U.S. LEADERSHIP in critical minerals.”

In addition to the Washington, D.C.-based reporter from Japan, there were at least a dozen other media outlets at the event from mining industry press to Fox Business to local reporters from Wyoming and surrounding states.

Rare Earth Benefits

During a golden shovel visit to the mine, Wright explained the connection between rare earth elements and what he referred to as “alternative” energy technology. 

"For the magnets in wind turbines and even for solar, some electrical conversion technologies in solar as well use rare earth elements," he said.

Wright asserted that wind turbines, often seen as alternatives to fossil fuels, are dependent on coal-based infrastructure. 

"When you see a wind turbine, it is the most visible embodiment of hydrocarbons in the country," he said. "Those giant steel towers, that's iron ore plus coal. Those giant blades are made of oil."

Ramaco Chairman and CEO Randy Adkins said the mine could supply almost 30% of the U.S. Defense Department's magnetic requirements.

He said its unique geology allows extraction of rare earths from coal without the radioactive materials typically associated with such mining.

"This is a pretty unique geologic spot," Adkins said, calling it, “America’s mine.” 

"Unlike most other rare earth deposits, which are in the hard mineral —which are not only harder to mine, harder to extract —they're usually all radioactive,” he added. “And that is why they were all shipped to China. So, this is (radioactively) cold. Coal does not have radioactive tape, so we can both mine it easier and less costly."

Gov. Mark Gordon, who attended with the full Wyoming congressional delegation, said the mine represents a shift from dependence on hostile nations. 

"We need to bring all this back to this great country," Gordon said. "We have been asleep. We have been asleep, and now we are awake because of our president."

The Brook Mine is expected to begin full production in the coming months, with plans for processing facilities that would create a complete domestic supply chain for rare earth magnets and also potentially semiconductor manufacturing.

Climate Change

When asked about where climate change concerns fit into his vision for American energy development, Wright provided a detailed response emphasizing energy access over climate policy.

"Over the last 20 years, the United States has reduced our greenhouse gas emissions, by far the most of any nation on Earth," he said.

Now, Wright argued, energy affordability needs to take priority. 

"A billion people live a life like we do today. Seven billion people want to live like we do today," he said. "Climate change is a slow moving, real physical phenomenon.

“But compared to 2 billion people today burning wood and dung to cook their daily meals … climate change is just not nearly as critical of an issue today as affordability, quantity and supply of energy to better human lives."

He criticized renewable energy policies in Europe, saying countries like Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark "have the most expensive electricity in the world, it's impoverishing their citizens."

Wright also expressed enthusiasm for Wyoming’s role in developing nuclear energy from uranium mines to the TerraPower nuclear plant being built near Kemmerer.

The energy secretary said he planned to visit Kemmerer sometime during his tenure, as he characterized Wyoming as "an all-around energy powerhouse.”

That was not news to Thomas Charles Laya who attended the ceremony with his young son, also named Thomas William.

Laya drove up from Sheridan because he owns property nearby and his grandfather worked in the original coal mines nearby.  

“Hopefully, they’re going to start producing some coal and some rare earths,” said Laya. “Everything takes a long time to get going.”

David Madison can be reached at david@cowboystatedaily.com.