Oklahoma Department of Commerce Pushes U.S. Critical Minerals Strategy Beyond the Mine

Highlights

• Oklahoma officials argue the U.S. must control refining and manufacturing, not just mining, to secure critical mineral supply chains
• USA Rare Earth's Stillwater magnet plant and Green Li-ion's Atoka recycling facility are operational, while Stardust Power's Muskogee lithium refinery remains developmental
• Oklahoma's cheap energy, logistics, and infrastructure make it a credible midstream candidate, but turning individual projects into an integrated ecosystem is the real challenge
• REEx warns that disconnected projects do not constitute a supply chain strategy—the dots must be connected into a commercially durable ecosystem