Rare Earth Exchanges

DOE Invests $45M in Regional Projects to Strengthen Domestic Critical Minerals Supply Chain

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Highlights

  • The U.S. Department of Energy allocated $45 million to six regional projects targeting secondary and unconventional sources of critical minerals.
  • Projects aim to enhance U.S. manufacturing, clean energy development, and national defense while creating high-wage jobs.
  • Initiatives involve collaborations between universities, private industry, government entities, communities, and Tribal organizations across different regions.

The U.S. Department of Energy (opens in a new tab) (DOE) has allocated $45 million to six regional projects aimed at building robust domestic supply chains for critical minerals and materials. This initiative, led by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (opens in a new tab) (FECM), targets secondary and unconventional sources such as coal by-products, oil and gas effluent waters, and acid mine drainage.

By leveraging these resources, these projects hope to enhance U.S. manufacturing, clean energy development, and national defense while creating high-wage jobs and delivering environmental benefits.

Assistant Secretary Brad Crabtree (opens in a new tab) emphasized the importance of these collaborations in securing critical resources and advancing a clean industrial economy.

The projects expand on DOE’s Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative, transitioning from basin-specific efforts to eight regional-scale strategies. Each consortium includes private industry, universities, government entities, communities, and Tribal organizations to ensure comprehensive, localized solutions.

Key projects include:

ProjectDetails
University of Alaska Fairbanks Mapping underexplored mineral resources in the Northwest
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Evaluating coal waste-derived materials in the Upper Midwest
University of Texas at Austin Identifying resource potential in Gulf Coast and Permian Basin wastes
University of Utah Investigating critical materials in coal-related and sedimentary-hosted deposits in the Rocky Mountain region.
University of Wyoming Developing supply chains using unconventional resources in the Great Plains and Interior Highlands.
Virginia Tech Assessing critical mineral extraction potential in the Appalachian region

These projects, managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory, aim to secure sustainable supplies of vital resources while reducing emissions from fossil energy and industrial processes. Further selections may follow, reinforcing DOE’s commitment to energy and resource security.

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