Replenishing Rare Earths

Wheel loaders load trucks with ore at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2020. Until this summer, it was the only rare earth mine in the United States. Steve Marcus/Reuters

Boarded-up mines across the world are rusting symbols of how China seized the world’s critical minerals supply chain.

Now, some of these mines—closed not because they ran dry, but by Beijing’s oversupply and price dumping—could be reopened as Donald Trump’s administration rallies nations to overthrow China’s supply chain dominance.