Years ago, when I worked for the American Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there were many Russian mercenaries in the eastern part of the country, several of whom were posing as Wyomingites.
Why? We asked that question when some of them were captured by the authorities. The Russians told us they selected Wyoming because it was a state that no one had ever heard of and therefore anything they said about their ‘home’ would not be questioned.
I know that even today, there’s some- and maybe even many – of our fellow Americans who don’t know there is a state named Wyoming.
I also know that many – and maybe even most – of us like it just fine that way. But the truth is that Wyoming has been for decades a vital resource for America, powering the U.S. economy from our abundant coal and natural gas.
Now, in the midst of what might be the biggest economic challenge America has faced since WWII, Wyoming is emerging again as a crucial link in a secure national supply chain that could sharply reduce our current dependence on China for the crucial minerals that make technology, energy and national defense possible.
What are critical minerals? Well, the United States geological survey has a list of 60 critical minerals, of which 15 are rare earth elements. These, plus others like scandium, yttrium, samarium, uranium, titanium and vanadium are needed for cell phones, semiconductors, robotics and national defense including space weapons. Wyoming has them all.
This is why Wyoming is like a secret weapon.
We have some of North America’s largest rare earth deposits under development, including Halleck Creek (American Rare Earths), Bear Lodge (Rare Earth Elements) and Brook Mine (Ramaco). The Wyoming Energy Authority says Wyoming’s rare earths are unusual because they are consistently distributed, highly concentrated and have low levels of radioactivity. This means they are more likely to be economically recoverable.
Aside from our abundant natural resources, we also benefit from having the University of Wyoming (UW), whose expertise and cutting-edge research in energy and mining place it among the leading educational institutions in the U.S. Remember – rocks in the ground are useless without the knowledge to transform them into economic product, and UW is producing an incredible cadre of experts who will drive Wyoming’s development of these crucial resources.
Why does all this matter? Because right now, the U.S. depends on China for over 90% of these elements crucial to our national defense and economic security. That has got to change. The U.S. needs to rapidly, efficiently and responsibly develop its resources. We must prioritize developing our resources while also working with trusted allies to build supply chains based on mutual interests and comparative advantage.
Last week the G7, an international gathering of some of the most politically and economically powerful Western nations, including the U.S., met to agree on accelerating collective development of critical minerals and the associated technologies (magnets, batteries) that underpin our modern economies. The discussions were productive and the G7 have agreed to accelerate the search for critical minerals and the development of processing and end-use products.
This as an important statement of intent. No one country (even China) can go it alone and the G7 comprises our most trusted allies. there are also opportunities here for Wyoming. In just one of the projects I mentioned, Halleck Creek, the state has more than 2 billion tons of total rare earth elements, the largest currently known deposit in North America. In practical terms, that could meet U.S. demand and still allow for the U.S. to play a dominant role in the global market. And that’s just one project: we have three currently and more to come.
While our allies matter, and always will, At the end of the day there is no shorter or more secure supply chain than mined and made in America – and particularly in Wyoming. Our resources build America’s security.
We don’t need to make a fuss about how important we are. Let others shout and strut.
We’ll just keep on getting ‘er done.
That’s the Wyoming way.
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Melissa ‘Mel’ Sanderson lives in Casper and is on the board of American Rare Earths and the co-chair of the Critical Minerals Institute. Her career has spanned diplomacy and mining for more than 30 years. She has been cited frequently by Reuters, Financial Times, The Economist and in Cowboy State Daily.
