Brandon S. Tracy of CRS addresses a very important issue - Rare Earth Elements - so important to our security (24 November 2020): An Overview of Rare Earth Elements and Related Issues for Congress.
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Introduction
The rare earth elements (REE) are a commonly recognized group of 17 elements included in the list of critical minerals identified by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) pursuant to Executive Order 13817. Although domestic resources exist for some REE, the United States is currently reliant on imports. In 2019, the United States imported 100% of rare earth metals and compounds it consumed, even though it exported some domestically mined rare earth element concentrate for further processing (due in part to a lack of domestic processing facilities).
As the United States currently imports all rare earth metals and compounds, an ongoing concern for many is maintaining unrestricted access to these supplies. REE are used in many products and sectors; examples of products containing REE include metal alloys, catalysts, magnets, motors, and electronic displays. More information on the consumption of REE in representative sectors and products is presented in the section “Demand for Rare Earth Elements” below.
This report provides an overview of REE, with a focus on domestic mineral resources and the potential for transforming REE sources (e.g., minerals, ores, concentrate, compounds) into inputs for other products. The United States has known deposits of REE, and one has been mined intermittently over several decades. While some deposits offer additional potential supply options, the United States currently does not have commercial-scale REE extraction capabilities. Ongoing research aims to lower the cost of extracting REE from mineral deposits and from recycled materials. Congress has shown interest in securing and enhancing the domestic supply of rare earth elements and critical minerals through proposed legislation.
Critical Minerals and Rare Earth Elements Defined
Many discussions of critical minerals employ the definition stated in, and the resulting list pursuant to, Executive Order (E.O.) 13817. The E.O. defines a critical mineral to be(i) a non-fuel mineral or mineral material essential to the economic and national security of the United States, (ii) the supply chain of which is vulnerable to disruption, and (iii) that serves an essential function in the manufacturing of a product, the absence of which would have significant consequences for our economy or our national security.
The E.O. directs the Secretary of the Interior, who in turn directs the USGS, to work with other federal agencies to produce a list of critical minerals (and to update the list periodically). The Department of the Interior (DOI) accepted the final list from USGS, which includes the REE as critical minerals.
Seventeen elements are commonly considered to be REE, 15 within the lanthanoid group of elements, as well as yttrium and scandium. REE are often discussed or categorized as light REE (LREE) or heavy REE (HREE). LREE include lanthanum (La), cerium (Ce), praseodymium (Pr), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd).
HREE include terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), holmium (Ho), erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu). Yttrium (Y) is generally considered a HREE, due to its similar chemical and physical properties. Scandium (Sc) is not included in either subcategory. Promethium is sometimes excluded from these subcategories because it does not occur in nature.
Cutting to the chase...
REE Cooperative and Corporation
Among other provisions, S. 2093 and H.R. 4410 would establish a federally chartered cooperative to process domestic and international sources of REE ores and materials containing thorium into products for sale. Afederally chartered corporation would accept and store all radiological material (e.g., thorium) produced by the cooperative and sell any valuable materials, and could conduct research on new uses of such materials. The cooperative and corporation would be privately funded and operated.The presence of thorium (or other radiological minerals) in REE deposits can add to overall costs of production, as the thorium becomes regulated source material during processing.62 A cooperative/corporation could create a scale of operations that could overcome these additional costs that may render smaller operations unprofitable. In the absence of federal funding, it is not clear whether the federally chartered cooperative and corporation would be any more viable than a similar cooperative and corporation created by private sector entities.
These bills suggest that a federally chartered corporation could eliminate the higher costs a REE mining operation faces if the ore body contains thorium by taking ownership of thorium materials produced by cooperative members. It is unclear how a federally chartered cooperative could reduce the costs associated with the presence of thorium, as thorium materials would be expected to be regulated at the mine, where physical refining (e.g., crushing, sorting, floatation separation) can increase thorium concentrations to those regulated as source material. If the cooperative and corporation were to receive ore directly from the REE mine, they would likely face the higher costs associated with transportation of the ore and disposal of the tailings.
Fascinating!
Enjoy!
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