Construction work starts at southeast Nebraska rare minerals mine, Adrian Smith helps dig in

By: Cindy Gonzalez

Outlets: Nebraska Examiner

Published: March 5, 2026

Words: 422

Last Updated: 5 days, 18 hours ago

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LINCOLN — Early construction work has launched on a long-awaited “critical minerals” mine in southeast Nebraska, with state and local officials starting the digging during a recent briefing at the project site.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith, R-Neb., was among the Nebraskans updated last week on the planned Elk Creek mine venture by executives of NioCorp, the Colorado-based company behind the $1.1 billion project that intends to extract rare-earth elements such as niobium, scandium and titanium.

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