This week marked major strides for the United States in both energy and critical mineral development. On July eleventh, Energy Secretary Chris Wright broke ground at Ramaco Resources’ Brook Mine Carbon Ore Rare Earth project in Ranchester, Wyoming, the first new rare earth mine started in the United States in over seventy years, as reported by Energy News Beat. This move comes as part of a declared effort for America to regain its leadership in critical minerals and to strengthen its energy independence. The new mine is especially significant given that eighty percent of rare earths used in the United States are still imported from foreign sources, mostly China, and recent Chinese export restrictions have exposed ongoing supply chain vulnerabilities. While the Wyoming project is expected to lower processing costs and reduce environmental impacts compared to traditional hard-rock mining, it still faces challenges related to meeting both production and environmental standards.
Elsewhere in critical minerals, the U.S. Congress is debating a bill that could phase out the Section 45X production tax credit for critical minerals. Mining.com reports that this ten percent tax credit has been a key incentive supporting domestic extraction and processing of essential materials like lithium and nickel. Major American metals producers have voiced concerns that removing the credit could jeopardize new projects and weaken U.S. supply chain resilience, especially in competition with state-backed suppliers abroad. The bill has passed both the House and an amended version in the Senate and will likely see its final language set later this summer.
Energy Fuels, a Colorado-based uranium and rare earths producer, continues to anchor the country’s rebounding uranium production according to a July profile from The National Investor. Its Pinyon Plain Mine in Arizona far exceeded expectations in the first half of 2025, with uranium grades and output well above guidance. This performance puts Energy Fuels at the center of expanding U.S. uranium mining, a critical sector for nuclear energy security.
Turning to energy trends, U.S. natural gas consumption dropped by more than five percent as of mid-July, led by a more than eleven percent decline in power generation, reports Wood River Energy. Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas exports saw a notable decrease due primarily to maintenance and outages at major facilities in Louisiana and Texas, though the U.S. remains the world’s top LNG exporter. Storage levels, however, remain comfortably above the five-year average, helped by an increased rig count and careful supply adjustments.
Finally, at the state level, Maine established a new Department of Energy Resources to prioritize affordable and clean energy policy, as reported by NASEO, while Oregon began rolling out new building performance standards to increase energy efficiency in the state’s commercial sector. This week’s developments point to a country navigating the delicate balance between accelerating mineral independence, ensuring responsible resource development, and maintaining its role at the forefront of global energy markets.
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