Highlights

• NioCorp advances landmark U.S. rare earth mining project in Nebraska.
• Potential to challenge Chinese mineral supply dominance.
• Project aims to extract critical minerals like scandium and niobium.
• These minerals are essential for defense systems and infrastructure.
• Potential to create up to 1,200 construction jobs.
• Project could result in 450 permanent mining roles.
• Supports domestic mineral independence.

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A landmark U.S. rare earth and critical minerals project has reached a new stage. NioCorp (opens in a new tab) (via subsidiary Elk Creek Resources Corp (opens in a new tab).) announced it has completed the initial exploratory drilling phase of its Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in southeast Nebraska. The news was first reported by Elaina Riley and Gina Dvorak for WOWT on September 8, 2025.

Backed by millions in federal grants, including $10 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (recently renamed the Department of War), the project is pitched as a cornerstone for rebuilding the domestic supply of scandium, niobium, titanium, and other rare earth elements. These materials are vital for advanced propulsion systems, hypersonic weapons, next-generation energy platforms, and aerospace applications.

Why It Matters

• Scandium: Lightweight alloying element strengthening aluminum and increasingly displacing titanium in defense systems.
• Niobium: Long relied on imports, this element doubles steel’s strength and makes it lighter—critical for infrastructure and defense.
• Defense Supply Chain: The Elk Creek project marks the first U.S. scandium mining effort since 1969, countering decades of Chinese dominance.

Project Details

NioCorp’s two-phase drilling effort included more than 7,300 meters of core drilling, plus an additional 2,200 meters in Phase II, with more geomechanical drilling still underway. Results will be publicly released following assay and analysis. CEO Mark A. Smith stressed confidence in the findings, linking them directly to ongoing debt-financing talks with the U.S. EXIM Bank.

Employment projections remain significant: up to 1,200 construction jobs during plant buildout and 450 permanent mining roles once operational. Company officials have also pledged strong environmental safeguards.

The Open Questions

While the project represents momentum for U.S. mineral independence, several critical questions linger for investors and policymakers:

• Will EXIM financing materialize in time to support commercial development, or will delays jeopardize the buildout schedule?
• How economically viable is scandium mining at scale in Nebraska, given historical cost challenges?
• What environmental tradeoffs may emerge once full operations begin, despite company assurances?
• Can the U.S. realistically reduce dependence on China in scandium and niobium supply chains within the next decade?

As assays are published and financing plans clarified, investors should watch closely. NioCorp’s Nebraska project could either mark a turning point in U.S. critical minerals independence—or expose the limits of reshoring ambitions.

Source: Elaina Riley & Gina Dvorak, WOWT, September 8, 2025.

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