On July 16, 2024, The Biden-Harris administration announced investments in two projects at the California Institute of Technology and the University of Utah, that will help mitigate the costs and impacts of producing rare earth elements and critical minerals and materials, from coal and coal by-products. [1] The Biden administration’s Investing in America agenda intends to use these projects as a means to develop more affordable and sustainable production processes while creating good-paying jobs in the energy industry. The initiative will help meet growing demand for critical minerals and materials in the US and also reduce domestic reliance on foreign supply chains. Currently the US imports 80% of rare earth elements despite having 250 billion tons of coal reserves originating from coal by-products and coal waste, and the DOE believes that they can be harnessed to establish a sustainable supply chain that supports the economy, clean energy, and national security.
Managed by the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, the separation technology will refine rare earth elements in order to extract minerals from unconventional sources, such as coal. As part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative, these projects will also ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments in climate, clean energy, and other areas flow to disadvantaged communities who are disproportionately impacted by pollution and underinvestment. This effort is part of a broader strategy by the DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, which has committed $151 million to minimizing the environmental impacts of fossil fuels while working to achieve net-zero emissions across the US.