Federal, State Agencies, Courts Undermine Efforts to Free US From China’s Stranglehold on Rare Earths

In this handout provided by the Department of Defense (DoD), a Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon, a precision-guided munition weighing 21,500 pounds, at the Eglin Air Force Armament Center in Valparaiso, Fla. on March 11, 2003. DoD via Getty Images

News Analysis

The Trump administration’s ambitious goal of reestablishing U.S. preeminence in the extraction and refining of rare earth elements is being thwarted by two federal regulatory agencies and conflicting rulings by federal courts.