Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, said that because it’s a political priority, the U.S. is now in a better place than it was as far as vulnerability to China for rare earths.

Ian Lange, professor of economics and business, said the push by the U.S. and other countries to increase gallium production could create a glut of the metal causing the gallium market to crash.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, says that China's withholding of critical minerals in 2025 brought about a paradigm shift.

Rod Eggert, research professor of Economics and Business, says that the likelihood of any of the new U.S. rare earth projects reaching the production stage is low because of the challenges inherent in the arena.

Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy, discusses the challenge posed by China's dominance in the processing and refining of ores.

“China is not just standing still waiting for us to catch up,” said Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines. “They are making investments on top of their already massive investments in all aspects of the ....

John Matocha of the Colorado School of Mines already has a job offer and an all-time college football record—and wants a Division II championship next. (PS: that’s not a real face tattoo.)

Jennifer Miskimins, head of the petroleum engineering department at Colorado School of Mines, said Gregg’s graduating class is benefiting from a pickup in oil-industry hiring and many have gotten good internships. “They’re a hot commodity,” she said ....

In relatively small markets for critical minerals, it remains unclear if Washington will be able to jump-start investment or have to settle for subsidizing projects that can’t stand up on their own, said Rod Eggert, an economics professor at the ....

“We would be foolish to limit our thinking that that kind of thing is impossible,” said Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. “If you keep ratcheting up your tit-for-tat, that’s one area ....