This is a ridiculously well authored article, and it makes it harder to read than the typical “just say what the audience wants to hear” clickbait that news has become, but it’s well worth the effort :)

Primary extraction (of rare earth metals) in the US is limited; only one active mine, the Mountain Pass Rare Earth Mine and Processing Facility in California, produces rare earth elements domestically.

That stood out for me :) I’d expect California to have more stringent mining requirements than anywhere else and be less likely to have a mine looking for these very contemporary materials… Dafuq is going on here Oregon? New England? Both have rare earth reserves, let’s go…