Lets see how far the EPA lets this go before shutting er down.
"Elk Creek residents say they know the riches won’t pour in overnight. They don’t care.
“It’s not short and sweet,”
Mr. Dickie said of the process to open a mine. “There’s obviously regulatory and permitting issues that you run into.”
Mr. Dickie said the next step is to get results of metallurgical testing, followed by a full feasibility study.
He said the date for mine construction to begin is “fluid,” but hopes it will be in the next couple of years.
Minerals and money flow aren’t the only benefits to Elk Creek of the proposed
Quantum mine: The project will create several hundred jobs in addition to the handful it created while test-drilling proceeds.
Other companies racing to exploit the rare-earth rush include Molycorp, which is attempting to reopen the former
Mountain Pass Mine in California and recently secured the environmental permits to proceed there.
Molycorp did not return requests for comment on its permit, but
Quantum does not see the California mine as a threat.
“They’ve been processing some of the mine tailings and building new facilities. It’s been very minor production,”
Mr. Dickie said. “We don’t anticipate that we could supply the entire U.S. requirement of rare earths, so obviously there’s room for several other players.”
Neb. mine find to challenge China