Ucore Awarded Funding by Ontario Critical Minerals Innovation Fund

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that the Company has been awarded $500,000 in partnership with Ontario's Critical Minerals Innovation Fund (the "Fund"). The non-dilutive funding contribution is for the advancement of the Continuous Improvement Process at the Company's RapidSXTM Commercial Demonstration Facility in Kingston, Ontario.

"Investing in critical mineral advancements, like Ucore Rare Metals Inc.'s innovative RapidSX™ technology, is vital to strengthen Ontario's critical minerals sector, drive innovation, and secure our future security and prosperity," said George Pirie, Minister of Mines. "This $500,000 in funding through our Critical Minerals Innovation Fund will help to build a secure supply chain ready to fuel the technologies of tomorrow and increase our global competitiveness."

Ucore is currently commercializing its RapidSXTM technology for the refining and separation of rare earth oxides at its Commercial Development Facility in Kingston, Ontario. The Company has constructed, commissioned and is operating a 52 stage RapidSXTM Demonstration Plant for the separation and refining of heavy and light rare earth oxides. Ucore is employing cutting-edge digital manufacturing with ongoing continuous process capabilities and flexible work cells that enable monitoring at every step of the operation, thus allowing for a staged market entry. These innovations will allow Ucore to compete with established Chinese producers.

"We are thrilled to have the Ontario government as a partner as we work toward re-establishing the North American rare earth supply chain," stated Pat Ryan, CEO of Ucore. "The importance of rare earth products to strategic industries such as national defense, robotics and AI, and many clean technologies cannot be overstated. Ontario's Critical Minerals Innovation Fund will play an important role as we work toward critical minerals independence in North America."

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Figure 1 - Ucore's 52-stage RapidSX™ Commercial Demo Plant in Kingston, Ontario

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/237931_874ea46aa4ad0965_001full.jpg

The Critical Minerals Innovation Fund provides funding to projects that help strengthen Ontario's critical minerals sector, supporting projects that involve research, development and commercialization of innovative technologies, techniques, processes and solutions for critical minerals and relate to key priority areas. Key priority areas include the battery supply chain, inventive techniques for deep exploration and mining, recovery of minerals, and other innovative projects that support the critical minerals sector.

Rare Earth Elements are essential components to several modern technologies. The largest application is their use in rare earth permanent magnets. Rare earth permanent magnets are used in a number of products, including electric vehicles, wind turbines, cell phones, MRI machines and numerous military applications. While rare earths are relatively abundant in the earth's crust, economic concentrations are uncommon and extensive processing is required to separate and refine the rare earths to a required purity. Ucore's focus on the all-important refining and separating of rare earth concentrates to usable oxides is needed to rebuild fragmented Western world supply chains.

# # #

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare- and critical-metal resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with the potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore's vision and plan is to become a leading advanced technology company, providing best-in-class metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.

Through strategic partnerships, this plan includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's control of the North American REE supply chain through the near-term establishment of a heavy and light rare-earth processing facility in the U.S. State of Louisiana, subsequent Strategic Metal Complexes in Canada and Alaska and the longer-term development of Ucore's 100% controlled Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Heavy REE Project on Prince of Wales Island in Southeast Alaska, USA.

Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX® Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF."

For further information, please visit www.ucore.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, events, or developments that the Company is pursuing are forward-looking statements. The details of the legislation by which tariffs are implemented can potentially impact the effectiveness of the protections afforded by Foreign Trade Zones. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

Regarding any disclosure in the press release above about the US Department of Defense or the Government of Canada Programs and the expected successful progress and resulting milestone payments from these Programs, the Company has assumed that the Programs (including each of their milestones) will be completed satisfactorily. For additional risks and uncertainties regarding the Company, the CDF, the Demo Plant and ongoing Programs (generally), see the risk disclosure in the Company's MD&A for Q3-2023 (filed on SEDAR on November 20, 2023) (www.sedarplus.ca) as well as the risks described below.

Regarding the disclosure above in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Strategic Metals Complexes ("SMCs"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to complete the Demo Plant demonstration schedule and also later prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Element project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer offtake agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to continue the development of the specific engineering plans for the SMCs and their construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: IMC failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX™; RapidSX™ failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the SMCs; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the SMCs and/or the continued development of RapidSX™; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Louisiana or Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACTS

Mr. Michael Schrider, P.E., Ucore Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, is responsible for the content of this news release and may be contacted at 1.902.482.5214.

For additional information, please contact:

Mark MacDonald
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
1.902.482.5214
mark@ucore.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/237931

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Ucore Announces Private Placement Financing

Ucore Announces Private Placement Financing

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce plans to complete a non-brokered private placement of approximately 3.1 million units ("Units") for total proceeds of $2 million (the "Offering").

Proceeds from the Offering are expected to be used towards the commissioning of the Company's planned RapidSXTM demonstration plant; the processing of initial feedstock through the demonstration plant; finalization of offtake and feedstock agreements; engineering work for the proposed Strategic Metals Complex in Louisiana, USA; and for general working capital purposes.

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The US State of Louisiana Offers C$15M+ Incentive Package for Ucore's First RapidSX Rare Earth Processing Facility - the Louisiana SMC

The US State of Louisiana Offers C$15M+ Incentive Package for Ucore's First RapidSX Rare Earth Processing Facility - the Louisiana SMC

  • The proposed incentive package from Louisiana includes US$9.6M in tax incentives and payroll rebates over the first ten years of operation. Upon specific site selection:
    • potential additional state and local economic and workforce incentives
    • an expedited process for all required state permits
  • Ucore's Board of Directors has unanimously agreed to commit the Company toward establishing its first Strategic Metals Complex (SMC) in Louisiana
  • Rare earth oxide products from the Louisiana SMC will be critical to North America's and Louisiana's goal to expand toward green energy technologies

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a mutual commitment with the US State of Louisiana ("Louisiana" or the "State") toward the establishment of the Company's first Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC") rare earth element ("REE") separation facility - the Louisiana SMC.

The Company's executive team has been in discussions with the State since the spring of 2022 and spent the better part of summer in a due-diligence process. This included an August trip to examine ten existing "brownfield facilities" throughout the State. Each of these facilities provides a head start as the prospective location of the Louisiana SMC versus a new construction or "greenfield facility."

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Ucore Updates on Bokan 2022 Field Sampling Program

Ucore Updates on Bokan 2022 Field Sampling Program

Ucore continues to advance its Bokan project as a long-range heavy rare earth source to eventually complement the planned Western feedstock sources for its near-term Strategic Metals Complexes.

A summary of the 2022 field sampling program:

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Ucore's Rare Earth Separation Commercial Demonstration Plant On-Track for Q4-2022 Commissioning

Ucore's Rare Earth Separation Commercial Demonstration Plant On-Track for Q4-2022 Commissioning

  • Ucore's rare earth separation commercial demonstration plant is designed to process:
    • Tens of tonnes of mixed rare earth concentrates on a per annum basis.
    • Many feedstock sources, including heavy and light rare earth element feedstocks planned for the full-scale Strategic Metals Complexes (SMC).
    • All RapidSX™ splits required to produce individual praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium.
  • Planned commissioning in Q4-2022, followed by product qualification trials for prospective North American metal/alloy makers and original equipment manufacturers seeking diversified and sustainable metallic supply chains.
  • The full-scale SMC engineering entity, Mech-Chem Associates, Inc., is now fully integrated into all demonstration plant activities.

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to provide an update on the Innovation Metals Corp.[i] ("IMC") RapidSX™ rare earth element ("REE") separation technology platform and the Company's commercial Strategic Metals Complex ("SMC") technology deployment process (the "Program"). The work is taking place at the companies' laboratory partner's (Kingston Process Metallurgy Inc. ("KPM")) facility in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

The Program was enhanced after Ucore received the independent evaluation of the RapidSX™ technology platform leading to the subsequent July 12, 2022, announcement of the nearly 3X increase in scope of the RapidSX™ REE demonstration-scale plant ("Demo Plant"). Since then, the Ucore, IMC, KPM, and Mech-Chem Associates, Inc.[ii] ("Mech-Chem") commercialization team (the "Team") has made significant strides in the procurement and construction process for the Demo Plant.

The final engineered layout of the Demo Plant takes up nearly all of the 5,000 square foot Commercialization and Demonstration Facility ("CDF") at KPM. And the concept of building a plant within an existing building is the go-forward transition template for the engineering process that the Team will replicate to create the first full-scale SMC, once the brownfield site[iii] selection process is finalized. This initial SMC is scheduled to produce 2,000 tonnes of total rare earth oxides ("TREOs") by the end of 2024 and 5,000 tonnes by 2026.

Cannot view this image? Visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_001.jpg

Figure 1 - Engineered Design of the Currently Under Construction 51-Stage RapidSX™ REE Demo Plant

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_001full.jpg.

"The CDF Team, and the rest of the world, is facing extraordinary supply chain challenges regarding equipment and component availability," stated Mike Schrider, P.E., Ucore's VP and COO. "Despite this situation, we have managed to procure the initial feedstocks and virtually all of the required major equipment and components, and the Demo Plant remains on track for a late 2022 commencement of the commissioning process."

"This process will demonstrate the unprecedented North American separation of tonnes of both heavy and light rare earth elements. It will then continue with end-user qualification trials throughout 2023 for Western entities seeking diversified and sustainable metallic supply chains as Ucore transitions to full-scale commercial mode with the construction of our first SMC."

Ucore's REE Separation Demo Plant is designed to:

  • Have the ability to process tens of tonnes of mixed rare earth concentrates on a per annum basis:

    • from a wide variety of feedstock sources, including the heavy REE ("HREE") and light REE ("LREE") feedstocks planned for the full-scale SMCs.

  • Be capable of processing all RapidSX™ splits required to produce individual praseodymium, neodymium, terbium, and dysprosium.

  • Have a parallel 51-stage conventional solvent extraction ("CSX") mixer/settler circuit that will match the RapidSX™ process' configuration and enable direct head-to-head comparison of the performance of RapidSX™ vs. CSX.

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Figure 2 - A Sampling of the On-hand CDF Components and Construction Efforts

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:
https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/1119/137284_ffcfc5cec4a3a9a7_002full.jpg.

Ucore stands alone in its speed of executing the commercial deployment of one of the first modern technology platforms for separating HREEs and LREEs - as a replacement for CSX. Mech-Chem is now fully integrated into all CDF activities and is aligned to assist with the full-scale SMC techno-economic assessment and engineering data transfer. The efficiencies and environmental advantages resulting from the CDF demonstration processes are, and will continue to be, directly incorporated into the full-scale SMC engineering design packages. This integrated process is rapidly positioning Ucore to meet the demanding schedule requirements for the development of the first SMC and REO production for the Company's emerging list of prospective downstream partners.

# # #

About Ucore Rare Metals Inc.

Ucore is focused on rare- and critical-metals resources, extraction, beneficiation, and separation technologies with the potential for production, growth, and scalability. Ucore has an effective 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Element Project in Southeast Alaska, USA. Ucore's vision and plan is to become a leading advanced technology company, providing best-in-class metal separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry.

Through strategic partnerships, this includes disrupting the People's Republic of China's control of the US REE supply chain through the near-term development of heavy and light rare-earth processing facilities - including the Alaska Strategic Metals Complex in Southeast Alaska and the long-term development of Ucore's heavy-rare-earth-element mineral-resource property located at Bokan Mountain on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska.

Ucore is listed on the TSXV under the trading symbol "UCU" and in the United States on the OTC Markets' OTCQX® Best Market under the ticker symbol "UURAF."

For further information, please visit www.ucore.com.

About RapidSX™ Technology

IMC developed the RapidSX™ separation technology platform with early-stage assistance from the United States Department of Defense ("US DoD"), later resulting in the production of commercial-grade, separated rare-earth oxides at the pilot scale. RapidSX™ combines the time-proven chemistry of conventional solvent extraction ("SX") with a new column-based platform, which significantly reduces time to completion and plant footprint, as well as potentially lowering capital and operating costs. SX is the international rare-earth-element ("REE") industry's standard commercial separation technology and is currently used by 100% of all REE producers worldwide for bulk commercial separation of both heavy and light REEs. Utilizing similar chemistry to conventional SX, RapidSX™ is not a "new" technology but represents a significant improvement on the well-established, well-understood, proven conventional SX separation technology preferred by REE producers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements." All statements in this release (other than statements of historical facts) that address future business development, technological development and/or acquisition activities (including any related required financings), timelines, events, or developments that the Company is pursuing, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance or results, and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

In regard to the disclosure in the "About Ucore Rare Metals Inc." section above, the Company has assumed that it will be able to procure or retain additional partners and/or suppliers, in addition to Innovation Metals Corp. ("IMC"), as suppliers for Ucore's expected future Strategic Metals Complexes ("SMCs"). Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be found to prepare a new National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") technical report that demonstrates that the Bokan Mountain Rare Earth Elements project ("Bokan") is feasible and economically viable for the production of both REE and co-product metals and the then prevailing market prices based upon assumed customer offtake agreements. Ucore has also assumed that sufficient external funding will be secured to continue the development of the specific engineering plans for the SMCs and their construction. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, without limitation: IMC failing to protect its intellectual property rights in RapidSX™; RapidSX™ failing to demonstrate commercial viability in large commercial-scale applications; Ucore not being able to procure additional key partners or suppliers for the SMCs; Ucore not being able to raise sufficient funds to fund the specific design and construction of the SMCs and/or the continued development of RapidSX™; adverse capital-market conditions; unexpected due-diligence findings; the emergence of alternative superior metallurgy and metal-separation technologies; the inability of Ucore and/or IMC to retain its key staff members; a change in the legislation in Alaska and/or in the support expressed by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority ("AIDEA") regarding the development of Bokan and/or the Alaska SMC; the availability and procurement of any required interim and/or long-term financing that may be required; and general economic, market or business conditions.

Neither the TSXV nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined by the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CONTACT

Mark MacDonald
Vice President, Investor Relations
Ucore Rare Metals Inc.
1.902.482.5214
mark@ucore.com

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Ucore Secures Line of Credit Financing, Maintains Its Fast Track Plan for RapidSX Commercial Deployment

Ucore Secures Line of Credit Financing, Maintains Its Fast Track Plan for RapidSX Commercial Deployment

  • Orca Holdings, LLC provides a Line of Credit Facility in the amount of USD$2 million
  • The primary use of funds is for the continued construction of Ucore's rare earth element Commercial Demonstration Plant and its planned Q4-2022 commissioning

Ucore Rare Metals Inc. (TSXV: UCU) (OTCQX: UURAF) ("Ucore" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the receipt of financing by way of a secured line of credit facility in the amount of up to USD$2 million (the "Line of Credit"). Proceeds from the Line of Credit will primarily be used to continue the development of the Company's RapidSXTM Rare Earth Element ("REE") Commercial Demonstration Plant ("Demo Plant"), currently scheduled for commissioning in Q4 of 2022, as detailed in the Company's July 12, 2022 news release.

The Line of Credit has been extended by Orca Holdings, LLC ("Orca"). In consideration for granting the Line of Credit and subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange, two million warrants ("Warrants") will be issued to Orca, with each Warrant entitling Orca to acquire one common share of the Company at an exercise price of CAD$0.75 during a one-year term ending on July 20, 2023. On July 21, 2022, the Company applied to the TSXV for the exchange's approval of the issuance of the Warrants.

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Dateline Resources Plans OTCQB Listing as US Rare Earths Interest Intensifies

Gold and rare earths company Dateline Resources (ASX:DTR,OTC Pink:DTREF) is keen to uplist to the OTCQB following strong interest in its California-based Colosseum project.

In a May 2 statement, the company highlighted US President Donald Trump's recognition of the asset.

“The Colosseum Mine, America’s second rare earths mine, has been approved after years of stalled permitting,” Trump wrote in an April 25 Truth Social update on his administration's achievements.

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3D rendering of stacked metal plates of neodymium rare earth magnets.

How to Invest in Rare Earth Metals

Investing in rare earth minerals can seem tricky, but there are a variety of rare earth stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available for metals investors.

The rare earth sector may seem daunting, as many elements fall under the umbrella, and the 17 rare earth elements (REEs) are as diverse as they are challenging to pronounce.

The group is made up of 15 lanthanides, plus yttrium and scandium, and each element has different applications, pricing and supply and demand dynamics. Sound complicated? While the REE space is undeniably complex, many investors find it compelling and are interested in finding ways to get a foot in the door.

Read on for a more in-depth look at the rare earth metals market and the many different types of rare earth minerals, plus rare earth stocks and ETFs you can invest in.

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Trump Administration Strikes 50/50 Minerals Deal with Ukraine

The Trump administration has finalized a profit-sharing agreement with Ukraine that will give the US a 50 percent stake in future revenues from the war-torn country’s stores of critical minerals.

At the heart of the deal, announced on Wednesday (April 30), is a set of materials that are foundational to both economic growth and national security, including graphite, lithium, titanium, beryllium and uranium.

The deal also covers the 17 rare earth elements, which are key components in the manufacturing of clean energy technologies like wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles and modern weapons systems.

According to US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, the deal is part of Washington’s broader vision for “a peace process centred on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

“President Trump envisioned this partnership between the American people and the Ukrainian people to show both sides’ commitment to lasting peace and prosperity in Ukraine,” Bessent added in a statement.

While emphasizing a commitment to peace in Ukraine, he also issued a warning: any entity "who financed or supplied the Russian war machine" will be barred from taking part in Ukraine’s reconstruction, a thinly veiled reference to Russia’s state-backed energy and mining sectors, as well as Chinese firms with close ties to Moscow.

The US currently imports many key minerals. The US Geological Survey states that of the 50 minerals it classifies as “critical,” the country is 100 percent import-dependent on 12 of them, and more than 50 percent dependent on 16 others.

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A Transformational Step Towards Becoming a Fully Integrated HPA Producer

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Two paper ships with cargo: China flag on left, US flag on right.

Trump Takes Aim at China with Deep-Sea Mining Nod, Looks to Boost Critical Minerals

Continuing his administration’s push toward reducing US reliance on Chinese mineral imports, President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order to fast track processes for deep-sea mining.

The release highlights nickel, cobalt, copper, manganese, titanium and rare earths as strategic minerals key to both national security and economic prosperity, saying that deep-sea mining may provide increased access.

The April 24 announcement from Trump came a day after Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum outlined potential plans for the government to invest in US companies that mine and process critical minerals.

Speaking at a conference put together by the Hamm Institute for American Energy, Burgum said there may be a need for “equity investment in each of these companies that’s taking on China in critical minerals.”

He discussed a multifaceted strategy that could include the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, government-backed sovereign risk insurance and a national stockpile of critical minerals.

“We should be taking some of our balance sheet and making investments,” Burgum told reporters last week. “Why wouldn’t the wealthiest country in the world have the biggest sovereign wealth fund?”

What's at stake for the US?

These efforts to reposition America’s mineral supply chain come amid the country's escalating trade war with China, which has tightened its grip on the global critical minerals market.


Currently, China produces or refines a dominant share of 20 key raw materials used in essential technologies — from semiconductors and electric vehicle batteries to missile guidance systems and wind turbines.

According to the US Geological Survey, the US was 100 percent reliant on imports for 15 critical minerals in 2024, and approximately 70 percent of its rare earths came from China the year before.

China’s latest retaliation — a new wave of export controls on rare earth elements in response to US tariffs — has only intensified concerns about supply chain vulnerability.

“We have to get back in the game,” Burgum urged in the same conference.

“It’s not just drill, baby, drill. It’s mine, baby, mine. If we don’t do that as a country, we will not be successful. We will literally be at the mercy of others that are controlling our supply chains.”

Building a domestic safety net for America

To offset both economic and geopolitical risks, Burgum laid out three key proposals under consideration:

  1. Sovereign wealth fund — A mechanism to allow the US to take equity stakes in domestic mining and processing firms, particularly those struggling to compete with Chinese state-backed entities.
  2. Sovereign risk insurance — A federal insurance program to reimburse companies in the event that a future administration cancels approved projects.
  3. Critical minerals stockpile — Similar to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the government would buy minerals during periods of global oversupply to stabilize domestic prices and secure long-term reserves.

Burgum asserted that the three combined would put the US “in the game around critical minerals,” and said the administration is currently “working on all three.”

Opening the ocean floor to mining

Trump’s executive order directs federal agencies to expedite permitting under the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act and the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. In addition to that, it instructs agencies to identify mineral-rich regions, facilitate exploration and map seabed areas for priority development.

Notably, the move bypasses the ongoing regulatory negotiations at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), a United Nations body tasked with setting global standards for ocean floor mining.

“The United States has a core national security and economic interest in maintaining leadership in deep sea science and technology and seabed mineral resources,” Trump states in the order.

Officials say US waters hold over 1 billion metric tons of seabed mineral deposits, including copper, cobalt, manganese and nickel — essential materials for renewable energy technologies and military applications.

However, the move has been met with sharp criticism from environmental groups and international regulators, which have long warned of the untested ecological risks of deep-sea mining.

“We condemn this administration’s attempt to launch this destructive industry on the high seas in the Pacific by bypassing the United Nations process,” said Greenpeace USA’s Arlo Hemphill in a statement.

“This is an insult to multilateralism and a slap in the face to all the countries and millions of people around the world who oppose this dangerous industry," he continues in the April 25 release.

The ISA, created under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — which the US has not ratified — has been working to establish a regulatory framework before any commercial deep-sea mining begins.

It is still deliberating rules on how to balance environmental concerns with mineral exploitation, with ISA Secretary-General Leticia Carvalho expressing hope that a global consensus can be reached by the end of 2025.

Mining companies mobilize amid US critical minerals push

Mining and energy companies are moving swiftly to capitalize on the Trump administration’s push to expand domestic production of rare earths and other critical minerals.

MP Materials (NYSE:MP), the operator of the only active rare earths mine in the US, reported a surge in interest from manufacturers after China imposed new export restrictions. The company has halted shipments of unprocessed ore to China, citing steep tariffs, and is ramping up efforts to process materials domestically.

NioCorp Developments (NASDAQ:NB) has welcomed the White House’s call to streamline permitting, which coincides with its plans to accelerate its Nebraska-based Elk Creek critical minerals project.

In the lithium space, oil giants like ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY) are clashing over production rights in Arkansas’ Smackover Formation, one of the country's richest potential lithium sources.

Exxon subsidiary Saltwerx recently won regulatory approval to develop a 56,000 acre lithium unit, a move it said could unlock the domestic industry and bolster US energy security.

At sea, The Metals Company (NASDAQ:TMC) is seeking permits under a decades-old US law to mine polymetallic nodules from the Pacific seabed, pointing to renewed political will.

Don't forget to follow us @INN_Resource for real-time news updates!

Securities Disclosure: I, Giann Liguid, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

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Strategic Discovery of Deep-Seated High-Grade Rare Earths Confirmed at Ivigtût, Greenland

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