TL;DR: The United States already boasts an extraordinary combination of natural advantages, not only due to sheer geographic size and positioning between the world's two largest oceans but a batshit insane abundance of coastlines, ports, interconnected navigable rivers, freshwater sources, fertile soils, pastureland, dense forests, shale oil, natural gas, coal, and mineral deposits. Now yet another can be added to the list as it continues to re-position itself for complete self-sufficiency and 21st-century dominance.
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BIG WYO, the cowboy state, quintessential embodiment of the American West. My all-time favorite place to visit and road trip through. You know it (or not) as both the least populous (584k) and most conservative (R+25) state in the union. It has a special place in the nation's history with a long list of firsts: the first national park (Yellowstone), first national forest (Shoshone), first national monument (Devil's Tower), and naturally the first designated ranger station (Wapiti). Interestingly enough, it also had first business established west of the Missouri River, was the first to grant women the right to vote, and the first to elect a female governor. It ranks first in estimated firearms per capita (by absolute miles) and first in firearms museums (IMO). It's first in premier North American wildlife viewing.
A no-tax, no-vax Wyoming vacation may be just the adventure you need, Palmer opines. Come to Wyoming, where healthcare is precarious and the state clings to a dying industry, and live dangerously!
wyofile.com
Anyhow, to the main point...
The WYO economy has been, is still, and will likely always be driven predominantly by agriculture, mining, and tourism. It has zero cultural, social, or political desire to change and wants to be left alone. It's the site of the largest coal mining operations in the world with recoverable reserves of 40 billion metric tons. A valuable resource to have in the bag that was indispensable to America becoming an industrial powerhouse, but people don't like coal anymore and just as production of cleaner natural gas has been rapidly replacing it as an energy source, Wyoming has come upon the discovery of another jackpot. This one carries some potentially enormous economic, geopolitical, and security implications for the United States -- particularly in regards to its relationship and rivalry with the PRC's Chinese Communist Party.
Rare Earth Elements.
American Rare Earths Inc. disclosed in a technical report on Wednesday that it found 64% more rare earth minerals than it had originally envisioned. “This…
cowboystatedaily.com
The discovery of 2.34 billion metric tons of rare-earth elements near Wheatland, Wyo., signals the beginning of a new era in the competition for the raw materials that power the global economy. If wisely exploited, this find—estimated to be the richest in the world—will give the U.S. an unparalleled economic and geopolitical edge against China and Russia for the foreseeable future.
The lode at Halleck Creek has the potential to make the U.S. the world’s largest processor of the minerals used to make computer chips, smartphones, and aircraft engines. Rare earths are fundamental to advanced economic manufacturing. They are also critical in all military technologies and thus have become central to national security. Yet traditionally, they also were “dirty” to mine. Production tended to leave water pollution, toxic sludge, and radioactive elements in its wake.
Environmental concerns led U.S. companies to curtail domestic extraction, and as a result, China became the world’s largest refiner of rare earths, accounting for as much as 95% of global production and supply in 2023. Despite a recent increase in refining outside China, the U.S., along with other leading manufacturing countries, relies on Chinese rare-earth exports. And reliance has meant vulnerability, as Beijing has used its near monopoly to bolster its own industries and put pressure on competitors.
The Halleck Creek find is reportedly high in two of the most in-demand rare earths, neodymium and praseodymium oxides, both of which are also low in radioactive byproducts. Exploiting the Wyoming find, along with other mines in Arizona and Nevada, could help power a new generation of American manufacturing, ensure a supply of military-critical materials, and further reduce American reliance on trade with China.
(tagz)
