The missing link in America’s critical minerals push isn’t mining – it’s processing expertise

America was once the global leader in rare earth element production, but as processing moved to China, the US lost capacity and expertise. It can get them back.

By: Hélène Nguemgaing, University of Maryland and Alan Collins, West Virginia University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: May 11, 2026

Words: 1,327

Last Updated: 2 months, 2 weeks ago

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By Hélène Nguemgaing, University of Maryland and Alan Collins, West Virginia University

The United States is spending billions of dollars to secure access to critical minerals – minerals and metals that are essential to modern technology, from electric vehicles to smartphones and military systems.

But amid the push to dig more, one question gets far too little attention: Who will actually process what comes out of the ground?

Between mining …

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