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Red mud mountain in Louisiana could become a strategic U.S. mine
A new $67 million contract to Colorado School of Mines and a Texas firm ElementUSA aims to extract up to 1,000 tons of rare earths per year from industrial waste and strengthen the United State's national critical minerals supply chain.
June 4, 2026
US firm plans to recover 1,000-ton rare earth elements with new processing plant
U.S. Department of Energy has awarded ElementUSA and Colorado School of Mines $67 million funding to design, construct, commission and operate a rare earth element (REE) facility in Louisiana.
June 4, 2026
The critical minerals trap behind directed-energy weapons
Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, co-authors this article that notes the Pentagon’s most promising answer to the munitions crisis requires materials controlled by the adversary it is designed to deter.
June 4, 2026