7 reasons Wyoming Can Become The Next Rare Earth Hub.

Why Wyoming May Be America’s Next Rare Earth Hub?

For more than a century, Wyoming has powered the nation with coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium. Today, as the world shifts toward electric vehicles, renewable energy, and advanced defense technologies, a new question is emerging:

Can coal country become rare earth country?

Rare earth elements (REEs) the metals needed for powerful magnets, advanced electronics, and national security — are increasingly vital to the U.S. economy. And Wyoming, long known for traditional energy, is quietly positioning itself as a key player in the next generation of critical minerals.

Here’s why Wyoming may be poised for a remarkable transformation.

1. Wyoming Has a World Class Rare Earth Deposit in Bear Lodge

Located near Sundance and Upton in northeastern Wyoming, the Bear Lodge Project is one of America’s most significant rare earth deposits.

What makes Bear Lodge stand out?

✔ High concentrations of light rare earths

Especially Nd and Pr essential for permanent magnets.

✔ Near-surface, accessible mineralization

This reduces mining costs compared to deeper, harder-to-access deposits.

✔ Extensive geological work already completed

Decades of drilling, resource modeling, and metallurgical testing have mapped the deposit thoroughly.

✔ Federal interest and investment

The U.S. Department of Energy and partners like General Atomics are supporting a demonstration-scale separation plant in Upton.

In short:

Wyoming has a rare earth resource that is scientifically significant, strategically important, and already moving toward development.

2. Coal Country Has Infrastructure That Rare Earths Need

Unlike many remote mining regions, Wyoming has something extremely valuable for rare earth processing:

Existing industrial infrastructure.

Coal country already has:

• Rail access

• Heavy haul roads

• Power distribution

• Water rights

• Skilled labor

• Maintenance shops

• Industrial fabrication capabilities

These assets drastically reduce the cost and complexity of building new rare earth processing facilities.

In many ways, it’s easier to build a rare earth supply chain in coal country than in traditional mining regions.

3. Wyoming Has the Workforce to Support Critical Minerals

Coal miners, oilfield crews, welders, machinists, and industrial technicians have the exact skill sets required for:

• Milling

• Hydrometallurgy

• Facility operations

• Welding and fabrication

• Equipment maintenance

• Instrumentation

• Safety and compliance

These workers understand:

• Pumps

• Piping

• Valves

• Tanks

• Chemical systems

• Automation controls

In other words:

The people who powered Wyoming for 100 years already have the skillset to power its next industry.

This gives Wyoming a competitive edge that few states can match.

4. Coal Ash and Clay Deposits Add Another Layer of Potential

Beyond Bear Lodge, Wyoming’s coal regions contain:

✔ Coal ash ponds with measurable rare earth concentrations

Some ashes — depending on coal source and combustion conditions — contain elevated heavy REEs.

✔ Clays associated with coal seams

These can contain ionic rare earths similar to those found in southern China’s clay-hosted deposits.

While coal ash extraction is challenging and still economically uncertain, the sheer volume of stored material makes it worthy of continued research.

If a breakthrough occurs in coal ash processing, Wyoming will be one of the best-positioned states in the nation.

5. Wyoming’s Regulatory Environment Encourages Development

Wyoming has a long history of:

• Responsible mining

• Clear permitting pathways

• Pro-industry legislation

• Collaboration between state agencies and developers

• Strong environmental oversight paired with efficient decision-making

This balance attracts investment and reduces the regulatory uncertainty that slows projects in other states.

6. National Security and Supply Chain Needs Point to the Mountain West

The United States currently imports the vast majority of its rare earth oxides, alloys, and magnets.

For critical applications — defense, aerospace, electric vehicles — this dependency is increasingly viewed as a strategic vulnerability.

Federal policy is now shifting toward:

• Domestic mining

• Domestic separation

• Domestic magnet manufacturing

The Mountain West, Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah are emerging as a natural hub for this supply chain.

Wyoming is competitive because:

• It has the resource

• It has the workforce

• It has the logistics

• It has the land

• It has the history of industrial-scale projects

And importantly:

Wyoming provides room for modular, decentralized processing, the direction many experts believe rare earths are heading.

7. The Opportunity

Wyoming’s next economic chapter doesn’t require abandoning its heritage.
It requires expanding it.

Coal built:

• A skilled workforce

• A powerful logistics network

• Decades of engineering and construction capability

Those same strengths now support the rise of:

• Rare earth processing

• Critical mineral extraction

• Modular skid manufacturing

• Chemical processing units

• Industrial construction to support new facilities

This isn't replacing coal country.
It's evolving it.

Wyoming Is Positioned for a Rare Earth Renaissance

Can coal country become rare earth country?

The evidence says yes.

Wyoming:

• Has a major REE deposit (Bear Lodge)

• Has industrial infrastructure other regions lack

• Has a ready-made workforce

• Has storage sites with potential secondary REE sources (coal ash)

• Has federal interest and funding

• Has a regulatory system built for responsible development

All the ingredients for a domestic rare earth hub are already here.

The only remaining question is:

Who will build the next generation of American critical mineral processing in Wyoming and how soon will they begin?