America just opened its 1st rare earth mine in 70 years as 'our answer to China' — how you can take advantage
- - - America just opened its 1st rare earth mine in 70 years as 'our answer to China' — how you can take advantage
Jing PanJuly 20, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Rare earth mine and Chris Wright
We adhere to strict standards of editorial integrity to help you make decisions with confidence. Some or all links contained within this article are paid links.
The U.S. has just opened its first rare earth mine in more than 70 years.
On July 11, Ramaco Resources officially opened the Brook Mine outside Ranchester, Wyoming. The northern Wyoming deposit is a trove containing six of the 17 rare earth elements — called “rare” not because they’re scarce, but because extracting them from raw materials is so challenging.
Ramaco CEO Randall Atkins says the site could supply the U.S. with rare earth materials for the next 150 years.
Don't miss -
I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in ‘great wealth’. How to get in now
“We will be mining it here, we will be processing on this site, and we will sell it to domestic customers — and that will be our answer to China,” Atkins told FOX 5.
Rare earth elements are used in everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to military systems and wind turbines. FOX noted that each F-35 stealth fighter — produced by Lockheed Martin — contains about 920 pounds of rare earth minerals.
Currently, China mines around 70% of the world’s rare earth supply and processes roughly 90% of it. In retaliation for President Donald Trump’s tariffs, China halted exports of rare earth metals — exposing a critical supply chain vulnerability.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright believes this new mine marks a turning point.
“Not only do we get coal here — we are going to get those rare earth elements that are going to break our dependence on China,” Wright told FOX News from the site.
Soaring shares
Ramaco shares have rallied strongly following the release of a full independent preliminary economic assessment of the Brook Mine, which confirmed the project is both commercially and technologically feasible.
With the high-profile ribbon cutting, the market’s enthusiasm has only intensified. The stock is up roughly 100% year to date.
It’s worth noting that Ramaco isn’t a pure rare earth play. The company also operates and develops metallurgical coal assets — and officials remain optimistic about coal’s role in the energy mix.
“Coal has been the biggest source of global electricity for over 120 years and it remains today by far the biggest source of global electricity,” Wright said at the announcement of the site. “It will remain that way for the rest of our lifetimes. So, to believe that coal somehow is bad or somehow is going away is just nonsense and destructive nonsense.”
If you’re interested in exploring mining stocks like Ramaco — or want to diversify into other sectors driving America’s resource independence — getting started has never been easier.
With investing platforms like Robinhood, you can buy and sell stocks, ETFs and their options commission-free, track your portfolio in real time and get 24/7 access to customer service.
For those starting small, the app also lets you buy fractional shares for as little as $1, making it easy to build a diversified portfolio without breaking the bank.
Read more: You don’t have to be a millionaire to gain access to this $1B private real estate fund. In fact, you can get started with as little as $10 — here’s how
A golden hedge
While rare earths are critical to the technologies of tomorrow, gold — a precious metal rather than a rare earth — has served as a store of value for thousands of years.
Today, the yellow metal remains as relevant as ever for a simple reason: Unlike fiat currencies, gold cannot be printed out of thin air by central banks.
It’s also long been viewed as a classic safe haven. Gold isn’t tied to any one country, currency or economy, and in times of economic turmoil or geopolitical uncertainty, investors often flock to it — driving prices higher.
Over the past 12 months, the price of the precious metal has surged by more than 35%.
Ray Dalio, founder of the world’s largest hedge fund, Bridgewater Associates, recently highlighted gold’s importance as part of a resilient portfolio.
“People don't have, typically, an adequate amount of gold in their portfolio,” he told CNBC. “When bad times come, gold is a very effective diversifier.”
One way to invest in gold that also provides significant tax advantages is to open a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold.
Gold IRAs allow investors to hold physical gold or gold-related assets within a retirement account, thereby combining the tax advantages of an IRA with the protective benefits of investing in gold, making it an option for those looking to help shield their retirement funds against economic uncertainties.
When you make a qualifying purchase with Priority Gold, you can receive up to $10,000 in precious metals for free.
What to read next -
Financial aid only funds about 27% of US college expenses — but savvy parents are using this 3-minute move to cover 100% of those costs
Here are the 6 levels of wealth for retirement-age Americans — are you near the top or bottom of the pyramid?
Here are 5 ‘must have’ items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?
How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement
Money doesn’t have to be complicated — sign up for the free Moneywise newsletter for actionable finance tips and news you can use. Join now.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Source: “AOL Money”