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Because they had to kiss a lot of frogs to find the right one?
Start-up companies sell shares until they don't. That's just reality.
The gov't funding opportunities that exist today did not exist 3 years ago. Geopolitics change. Rules change. Budgets change. I think a clear argument can be made that Mark lobbied for recognition of the importance of the minerals and the mine, and for many of the policy changes in the last 3 years, and that those lobbying efforts have now yielded the fruit that's about to be made into a scrumptious pie to be served at the upcoming wedding which will be heralded across the globe.
Save the date.
Press your suit and polish your shoes. JMHO
Someone here will likely stand up and object regardless.
Perhaps because DoD had stricter contracting rules back then, and NioCorp had no major funding source to show that they could ultimately produce anything for DoD even if DoD gave them a few bucks. I don't think they could pay for feasibility studies back then anyway. Unclear why they didn't go after the IRS 48c money, but maybe because it derives from tax credits and they had/have no income. I'm just guessing on both.
Not sure I get the point? It takes time to build the plant and get it producing. I guess you can still say the same thing in 2 years about importing all our critical minerals because the mine will take more than 3 to get operational.
MP Materials began constructing its Fort Worth, Texas, manufacturing facility in April 2022. The company is currently producing magnet precursor materials in a North American pilot facility. It expects to commence commercial production of precursor materials in Fort Worth this summer and finished magnets by late 2025.
MP is an operating mine that received money from the DOD and DOE to help build a domestic REE processing facility in Texas. NB is a startup in the application process to receive funding from EXIM Bank.
As I have stated before, I believe that EXIM is the key to unlock all the other funding. There are multiple pots of money potentially available to do all of those things, and you should ask EXIM and NioCorp whether it would have made any difference. EXIM still likely would have sent out their 60 day questionnaire and I think that's been the biggest speed bump we've seen. Could it have shaved a month or two off the process? Maybe? Who knows? Does it matter? We're here now.
It's about Biden being able to say he's investing in American businesses and American jobs and protecting American infrastructure and securing American supply chains to help usher in American independence from oil and honor America's commitment to green energy all while ensuring that those American companies use the correct pronouns. I could be wrong, but I don't think Aquatech, Beta and the Packwell Plastics Packaging and Warehouse Facility Construction Project combined have the same juice?
I'll answer your last question first, No. China has been manipulating the market for over a decade and thereby influencing private financing. EXIM unlocks funds that might not otherwise be available. That's their mission.
You would have to ask Jim why he said what he said. I can tell you that a PR guy saying that he can't say unless he, A. Knows, AND B. Can release it, is standard procedure. He doesn't know the EXIM answer and even if he did, he can't release it. He has to respond in some order. Maybe they're so confident in EXIM, the next priority is funding for the FS.
I've posted all this before. This is my opinion, based exclusively on facts and timelines, not supposition, innuendo or emotion. You're welcome to yours. Perspective is everything and ours are clearly different. I don't read those comments the same way that you do, and I don't view the future the same way you do, especially considering your previous posts. But, I'll give you credit if you actually bought back in.
The first sentence says they are working on multiple funding opportunities. He has said many entities are interested across government and private sectors. Nowhere does it say EXIM needs an updated FS. There are two. I think REEs are cherries on top of the cake. My opinion. Do your own due diligence and make your own investment decisions.
NioCorp initially applied to EXIM 2/2023
EXIM provided an LOI 3/2023.
Drilling was completed 6/2023.
Niocorp formallly applied to EXIM 6/2023
Stellantis came on board 7/2023.
Nebraska’s Senator and Congressman Secure $10 Million in Federal Funding for U.S. Aluminum-Scandium Master Alloy Production 9/2023
Niocorp passed first level EXIM review 10/2023
EXIM posted the pending Niocorp transaction in 11/2023
Titanium Is a Strategic Metal – And the U.S. Might Not Have Enough 1/2024
EXIM issued term sheet 4/2023
The U.S. supply of niobium, which is used in steel and superalloys, “has been a concern during every national military emergency since World War I,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey
$2.3b to build their mine from the Department of Energy (EXIM who with $800 m?). Was already an existing company, Lithium Americas, til they split off Thacker Pass, so they already had investors. LAC got $650m from GM. Lithium gets a lot more media play than Niobium, Scandium, Titanium and the mystery rare earths. Wyoming and Montana get a lot more media play than Nebraska. Maybe it's messaging, or a lack of?
https://lithiumamericas.com/news/news-details/2024/Lithium-Americas-Provides-a-Thacker-Pass-Construction-Plan-Update/default.aspx
https://lithiumamericas.com/investor/laac-separation/default.aspx
I think this happens sooner rather than later. They knew when they applied for the LOI what was required. Well over a year so far, so plenty of time to put a pretty package together with a big bow on it and dot the i's and cross the t's. Everyone NEEDS this. EXIM WANTS this. The Prez WANTS this. Western nations WANT this. Private industry WANTS this. Nebraska WANTS this. Delaware mails out absentee ballots 60 days before the election. That's 9/6. Requiring an updated FS doesn't make sense to me given the steps that have been passed to date, and that could substantially delay this which does the admin no good.
https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/table-7-when-states-mail-out-absentee-mail-ballots
I absolutely get it, but I'm from a different time (and I'm beginning to believe from a different planet) so I set my hopes on 10. No clue how long the bump, if any, would last, since they go into about 3+? years of build with no revenue. $20-$25-$30++++ would all be great, that's what I have a couple of warrants for.
There was something, I think I posted it, but can't find the post or the info. It's a conditional loan, so I'm wondering if the extra $275 million they raised shortly after was part of the conditions.
While this Conditional Commitment represents a significant milestone and demonstrates the DOE’s intent to finance the Project, certain technical, legal and financial conditions, including negotiation of definitive financing documents, must be satisfied before funding of the Loan.
I don't think it ever came close to doubling? The high was only $7.35 US at the peak on 4/11 (according to eTrade) after the DOE announcement which was on 3/14, when it was $6.83. In Feb, long before the loan announcement, it was at $4.09, so not even a double from there. Then they announced on 4/17 they were selling 55 million shares at $5 to raise another $275 million, it crashed, and now it's at $4.32. Your link was shown in Monopoly money (CAN) so the $10 is misleading :)
I don't think a double from here would be all that great, but I'll take it if that's all we get. $10 would be nice!
https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/LAC/history/
https://lithiumamericas.com/news/news-details/2024/Lithium-Americas-Closes-US275-Million-Underwritten-Public-Offering/default.aspx
https://investorplace.com/2024/04/why-is-lithium-americas-lac-stock-down-28-today/
Thankfully they programmed in a very small window of opportunity for gray, so we don't have to wait long for an answer. They say it's always darkest before the dawn. Depending on your expectations, I think your buy will be green if it's not already.
That's concerned me when Lithium America didn't move much on $2.3 billion.
ALMOST makes one wonder if the stock will actually MOVE if/when the actually do get FINANCING, or will this thing be a slug UNTIL the mine is actually built and producing REVENUE
A lot of words and math and conditions (and likely legal fees) went into creating that loan with that timeline. Even the most jaded and cynical non-shareholders might be able to imagine that there's a plan, if they try really hard.
But it’s not definitely not happening yet either.
Re: Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects
Found this letter posted as one of the comments sent in:
https://foe.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2024.05.06_EXIM-critical-minerals-comments.pdf
May 6, 2024
United States Export-Import Bank (EXIM)
811 Vermont Ave NW
Washington, DC 20571
Re: Information Request on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects
Dear Chair Reta Jo Lewis,
The civil society and Indigenous-led organizations below respond to EXIM’s request for
information to assist the United States Export-Import Bank (EXIM) in supporting critical
minerals projects, 89 FR 16564. Considering the high risk of negative environmental and social
impacts related to extraction and processing, we urge EXIM to take the following actions:
? Require companies supplying (or sourcing) minerals for the energy transition to have
explicitly stated commitments to respect and uphold Indigenous Peoples and customary
land rights holders right to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) as enumerated in
the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
? Instead of prioritizing new mining and exploration projects, prioritize finding and funding
solutions to minimize the need to extract energy transition minerals (ETMs), including
multiple-life applications and recycling.
? Require applicants of any projects involving ETM extraction to conduct intersectional1
human rights impact assessments by an external and impartial consultant as part of their
environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), integrate these findings into their
Environmental and Social Management system (ESMSs), and disclose these assessments
publicly. EXIM should also require these applicants (especially any that receive EXIM
support) to adhere to internationally recognized human rights and environmental due
diligence policies like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights2
and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from
Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.3
? Require companies to have stated commitments to respect international environmental
law and to avoid mining activities in no-go zones, including Ramsar Sites; biosphere
reserves; the Arctic and Antarctic regions; the deep sea (both in the "Area" as governed
by the International Seabed Authority and in the country's own Exclusive Economic
Zones and extended continental shelves); protected areas by third countries; and sacred
sites, zones, or spaces listed as tangible or intangible cultural heritage at the domestic or
international level.
? Refuse to conduct business with any entity whose key personnel or beneficial owners
have conflicts of interest that cannot be adequately managed or with those with a record
of corruption where there is no evidence of mitigating corruption risks. Companies
should document this commitment in a publicly available policy and report on their
implementation of this policy.
1 This additional guidance is required because the level of attention given to gender and the analysis of gender impacts within
standards like the IFC Performance Standards is low.
2 https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf
3 https://www.oecd.org/corporate/mne/mining.htm
? Adopt, disclose, and enforce strong “revolving door,” lobbying, and political donation
rules to avoid conflicts of interest and undue influence of mining companies and the
mineral extraction industry.
? Adopt responsible tax principles and implement responsible tax practices, including
minimizing the use of subsidiaries in tax havens, avoiding project-specific tax incentives,
committing to cooperative engagement with tax authorities, and publishing tax
transparency reports. EXIM critical minerals projects should follow Extractives Industry
Transparency Initiative (EITI) standards, which are where countries publish tax,
payment, and contract data between governments and mining companies.
? Add to the categorical prohibition list:
o Quarries and opencast mining where the surface of the site exceeds 25 hectares.
o Deep sea mining.
Further, EXIM should have an independent accountability mechanism so that communities can
raise concerns about the impacts of EXIM’s critical minerals transactions at any point in the
approval process for the project, so that communities are not put under pressure by unrealistic
deadlines, etc. We appreciate your recent commitment in the National Action Plan on
Responsible Business Conduct to work with Export Credit Agency counterparts to strengthen
best practices around access to remedy. EXIM’s current Environmental and Social Project
Information and Concerns portal falls short of international best practices, and we request that
you soon launch a public consultation to improve EXIM’s accountability process.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss this issue and these recommendations. We appreciate
you taking our comments into account as you consider increasing your support for transition
minerals projects.
Sincerely,
Accountability Counsel
Alyansa Tigil Mina - Philippines
Cultural Survival
Deep Sea Mining Campaign
Earthworks
First Peoples Worldwide
Friends of the Earth US
International Indigenous Fund for development and solidarity “Batani” (Batani Foundation)
SIRGE Coalition
Society for Threatened Peoples - Switzerland
The Ocean Foundation
I didn't remember it correctly, it was the DOE loan to Lithium America and the story was just about the increase in cost for the project, nothing about the increase in loan amount based on that. I looked at a couple of previous PRs and didn't find the original loan amount requested.
The mine's cost has increased from a previous estimate of $2.27 billion to nearly $2.93 billion due to higher engineering costs, an agreement to use union labor, as well as the company's decision to build a housing facility for workers and their families in the remote region.
Jobs: The amount of EXIM financing made available for individual projects will be scaled based on the number of U.S. jobs supported, both during construction and over the life of EXIM’s financing.
Each job-year (e.g., one job over five years is five job-years) allows for up to $205,336 in financing.
Jobs Standard
Make More in America financing will be scaled according to the number of US jobs supported during construction and over the life of the project. Every one job per year (i.e., 50 jobs per year for five years would be counted as 250 jobs) allows for up to US$189,242 in financing.
I don't think so, but I thought I read somewhere in the volumes of information that loan details are made public 30 days after approval but now I can't find it and I'm not finding any examples. Maybe it was just a summary of some sort. Could be wrong. I'll keep looking.
Packwell, the 3rd MMIA recipient of EXIM money got approved on April 18 for $51 million. Interestingly, if you look at the Pending Transactions page, there were no updates made to NEPA (Pending), CO2 (TBD) and ESIA (Not Yet available) statuses. I guess watch the Board agenda.
https://www.exim.gov/news/export-import-bank-united-states-board-directors-approves-third-deal-under-make-more-america
Someone posted an example a while back on how EXIM upped the loan amount due to inflation and some other factors.
The more I look at this, the more it appears that many of these steps can be occurring simultaneously. The only hard timelines I'm seeing are the 25 day Federal Register posting that occurs after preliminary board approval, followed by the 10 day Congress notification. It even appears as though the External Notices step was probably the one that was just completed with the questionnaire.
We may be close to preliminary board action. The agenda is only posted up to May 9 (first May meeting) and that does not include NioCorp as it stands today. The board has met in the past in as little as a week and as often as 3x a month. Will be very interesting to see what the next agenda includes!
Update: Looking back at another transaction (AP089416XX), it looks like it hit the board agenda before it went out on the Federal Register so maybe we see that first, or the NEPA, CO2 ESIA status changes.
It's a little cloudy as to where we are exactly in the process but I think we might (maybe?) be nearing the end of Other Analysis? I do believe we are full steam ahead at this point, and I think it moves pretty deliberately from here. Unless they deviate from published procedures (which I think is highly unlikely), I'm guessing we have to start watching for an external notice of an "Application for Final Commitment for a Long-Term Loan or Financial Guarantee in Excess of $100 Million" in the Federal Register, and changes in the NEPA, CO2 and ESIA statuses on the Pending Transactions page. Haven't seen anything yet that would make a decision by the end of June impossible (as Mark conservatively hoped).
LONG-TERM LOAN OR GUARANTEE APPLICATON
ATTACHMENT F: Project and Structured Finance
1. EXIM Project Finance
- Rapid Case Processing. With the help
of outside financial consultants, EXIM
will give a preliminary indication of
support, called a Preliminary Project
Letter (PPL), within 45 days from the
date evaluation begins by the outside
consultant. Should the project be
sufficiently developed, the sponsor may
proceed directly to a final commitment
from the PPL as determined by the
Project Finance Division.
2. Application Process.
- Preliminary Project Letter. Assuming
the evaluation process is satisfactory,
the Project Finance Division will issue a
PPL. The PPL indicates that EXIM is
prepared to move forward on a
financing offer and the corresponding
general terms and conditions. These
terms and conditions will be based
upon the information available at the
time of the application. The evaluation
and issuance of the PPL will be
completed within 45 days of
commencement of the evaluation.
- Evaluation Post-PPL. After issuance of
the PPL, EXIM will work with the
applicant to secure a final commitment.
On a case-by-case basis, EXIM may
continue to utilize the financial
consultant.
Does anyone else find it very interesting that the PR for the PPL didn't come out until 3 weeks after it was received, and not until the end of the last day to submit comments to EXIM on critical mineral funding questions? Almost as if they were waiting to make sure nothing negative or unsupportive was submitted, making the financing all the more likely? Coincidence?
Walter #111799: In the quarterly reporting filed yesterday I read that on April 15 2024 Niocorp received a Preliminary Project letter ( the PPL) from Exim and that letter includes a preliminary indicative Term Sheet.
I think your FOMO is a GOGO after hours!
I would also note that it appears a company PR has substantially more impact on trading than what gets posted on this board. 😂
Single source lease for the Air Force. Single source awards and DOD and 2024 funding availability is a good combination!
This document is a Single Source Justification for a simplified acquisition to lease a Virtual Reality Training System from VirTra, Inc. The system is required to provide real-life training scenarios, including taser and V-Threat capabilities, for the 99th Security Forces Squadron at Nellis AFB. The justification states that the V-Threat capability is essential and proprietary to VirTra, and that neither of the vendors who responded to the sources sought could fulfill this specific requirement.
NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD SINGLE SOURCE: The NAICS Code is 541511 - Custom Computer Programming Services. The 99th Contracting Squadron, Nellis AFB, NV intends to award a single source, firm fixed price contract as authorized by FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) to VIRTRA, INC. This requirement is for a Virtual Reality Training System that is able to provide all necessary operator training, equipment and accessories required to lease a Virtual Reality Training System that is fully functional, ready to operate upon delivery, and includes taser and V-Threat capabilities.
The contract action is for a Virtual Reality Training System for which the Government intends to award on a sole source basis. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. However, all responses received electronically by 2:00PM PST, 8 May 2024 will be consid
The Federal Register now shows 5 comments received on the RFI on Financing Support for Critical Minerals Projects. Only one is visible. Tomorrow is the posted final day for submissions.
Supply certainty for critical minerals needed to avoid ‘system vulnerability’ in energy transition
02 MAY, 2024 BY BELINDA SMART
They discussed how to stave off the threat of “overall system vulnerability” during the energy transition; the “system” referring to the energy transition’s diversity of energy sources and players.
Critical minerals were a key focus of the discussion.
Critical minerals also include lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite, while - according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) - neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium are key to the production of the permanent magnets used in wind turbines, with neodymium the most important in volume terms.
SAFE’s Abigail Hunter Testifies on Comprehensive Trade Approach for Critical Mineral Supply Security
POSTED ON: MAY 2, 2024
Long paper with lots of talk about China, magnets and domestic production. Abigail Hunter was on the panel with EXIM Chair Lewis at SAFE, just before Mark's presentation.
Random quotes, not necessarily in any particular order:
The United States is making historic investments to bolster domestic critical mineral supply chains through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act, the Defense Production Act Title III, and the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) program.
The United States does not have any rare earths metal refining capacity and accounts for less than one percent of magnet alloying and manufacturing.
Until domestic manufacturing is set up, U.S. mining and processing companies have no choice but to export materials to countries with midstream production capacity.
Without proper trade remedies in place, nascent U.S. industries in these vital upstream and midstream steps find it hard to attract the necessary private capital to grow.
Thus, the first order of business for the U.S. government is taking steps to bolster domestic production by deploying available funding from IRA and BIL programs and the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), supporting workforce development, and shortening permitting time for mining projects.
This should be coupled with targeted incentives and investments to accelerate the development of midstream and upstream capacity, both domestically and among allies.
Trade remedies will be required to mitigate harm to existing and future domestic producers.
As the United States seeks to increase its recycling capacity and retain valuable critical minerals within its borders, government policies will need to focus on creating incentives for domestic recycling and, if necessary, establishing controls to prevent the unintended export of critical minerals in waste streams.
Critical minerals: US$16tn opportunity faces investment, sustainability concerns
Sustainability pressures present another hurdle, ICMM’s Dhawan pointed out.
“We’re in the strange position today where ESG is both increasing demand for commodities and constraining supply at the same time,” he said.
“It’s increasing demand because we’re all rightly concerned about decarbonisation. That means a huge increase in demand for all metals and minerals… but also concerns around water [and] other social issues are constraining supply.
“So at the very time when we need new mines to supply the demand, it’s probably the hardest it’s ever been to open a new mine today.”
Just a reminder of the stated purpose of the EXIM Federal Register questionnaire that closes Monday, with only two comments so far and the 2nd one clearly being from an entity that wants to tap the EXIM resources:
To assist the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) in supporting critical minerals transactions, which are crucial to the supply chains of several of the Congressionally mandated Transformational Export Areas in EXIM's Charter, EXIM seeks information on the financing gaps faced by project sponsors, users of critical minerals, and suppliers to critical minerals projects.
"To assist in supporting" "crucial to the supply chains" "Congressionally mandated" all in one sentence.
Good stuff.
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/03/07/2024-04883/information-request-on-financing-support-for-critical-minerals-projects
Why higher prices are needed to develop ex-China rare earths supply
https://source.benchmarkminerals.com/article/higher-prices-needed-to-develop-ex-china-rare-earths-supply
Interested parties must apply for an EXIM LoI. That’s step #1.
https://www.exim.gov/resources/applications-forms/letter-interest/applying-for-letter-interest
The formation at Elk Creek has been known about for over 50 years.
https://www.usgs.gov/data/niobium-deposits-united-states
https://www.usgs.gov/data/geochemical-data-elk-creek-alkaline-complex-southeast-nebraska
So much bs and disinformation on this board.
As far as I can tell this was an additional step added into the process by EXIM, so we still have to pass steps 2 and 3, which MS said at the meeting were being worked concurrently. I have to think this was them looking for any more info they could get as they approached the next phase. I think the most recent loan timeline details are telling. I’m hoping things progress quickly after the 6th. Been traveling so not paying a ton of attention but picked up some 2.045.
Biden signed MMIA in 2021. The EXIM chair was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in by Harris in 2022. She knows her role and her mission with respect to the administration. The 2024 NDAA included the ability for advance purchases and long term contracts for critical minerals along with $10 million for AlSc alloy production. That was signed by Biden. The first EXIM domestic loan was August 2023. If anyone else has any proof to the contrary that the Biden admin isn’t 💯 behind these projects, please put it out there without stating things as facts without backing them up.
Trump signed Executive Order 13817 of December 20, 2017 (A Federal Strategy To Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals), which required the Secretary of the Interior to identify critical minerals and made it the policy of the Federal Government “to reduce the Nation’s vulnerability to disruptions in the supply of critical minerals.”
They both want it, the military wants it, the private sector wants and needs it. Do your own research and make your own decisions.
VirTra to Introduce V-XR Training Solution at IAHSS Exhibition, Signaling Increased Commitment to Healthcare Security Training
CHANDLER, Ariz. — April 29, 2024 — VirTra, Inc. (Nasdaq: VTSI) (“VirTra”), a global provider of judgmental use-of-force training simulators and firearms training simulators for the law enforcement and military markets, announced its participation at the International Association for Healthcare Security & Safety (IAHSS) Conference and Exhibition in Orlando from April 29 to May 1, 2024. As a first-time vendor, VirTra will introduce its new V-XR headset training solution at the event, highlighting its advanced functionality and ability to meet diverse training demands, particularly in healthcare settings.
The IAHSS Annual Conference and Exhibition is a key event for healthcare’s top security, safety, and emergency management leaders to network, meet with vendors, and find solutions for their challenges. This year, VirTra joins the expo to demonstrate the effectiveness of its new V-XR training solution, a compact, lightweight headset training simulator with a focus on de-escalation scenarios. The headset features hyper-realistic characters created using volumetric video capture and pass-through to reduce motion sickness for the user.
VirTra’s recent entry into the healthcare market began last month when it partnered with Ascension St. John Hospital (“Ascension”) to equip its team with advanced training simulators. VirTra’s V-180 was a practical application of Ascension’s grant funds.
Darrel Long, Director of Security for Ascension Oklahoma, noted the impact, stating, “We can implement frequent training in scenarios representing our environment. The V-180 is a tremendous asset and allows all security officers within the Ascension St. John Health System to ensure patient and associate safety.”
Ascension also reported the system’s success in a recent case study, available to download on VirTra’s website. The study highlights the simulator’s wide range of training scenarios and how it allows the entire staff, not just the security team, to practice skills that keep them safe.
As VirTra’s role in healthcare security expands, multiple other healthcare organizations have already adopted its technologies. Ohio Healthcare PD, TriHealth Cincinnati, Marion Hospital in Indiana, Indiana University Hospital, Health First Security in Florida, and several VA locations have begun training their teams using VirTra simulators.
John Givens, CEO of VirTra, stated, “Every day, medical providers around the country go beyond the call of duty for their patients. VirTra supports every initiative within our capabilities to ensure the security of hospital staff while on the job. With our V-XR training solution, we are not only enhancing safety in healthcare environments but also demonstrating its cross-market functionality, allowing us to begin expansion beyond our core law enforcement and military markets. I’m confident that the training provided by our simulators will instill a renewed sense of safety among hospital staff, patients, and their visitors.”
VirTra’s entry into healthcare security coincides with an increase in unruly and sometimes violent behavior directed at healthcare providers. A 2022 report from the American College of Emergency Physicians revealed a significant increase in healthcare violence, with 55% of physicians surveyed saying they had been physically assaulted while at work. With the increased demand for hospital security, VirTra is stepping up to provide advanced use-of-force, de-escalation, and other forms of simulator-based training to its healthcare partners.
Haven't watched this yet but skimmed a bit and at 7:15 one speaker talks about what the USGS considers to be the 4 most critical minerals
cobalt, neodymium, gallium and niobium.
About 56:00 talks briefly about the possibility of MSP projects in the U.S.
Wyoming wins again (and Montana)!
The New Era of Mining
A deep dive into the efforts bringing mining into the 21st century.
Anna-Sofia Lesiv
April 25, 2024
The problem isn’t that the US doesn’t have enough resources domestically. By all accounts, the United States is swimming in valuable minerals. The issue, apart from regulation and the low cost of foreign competition to American mining efforts, is that we don’t have a good idea of where these minerals are.
To that end, in 2023, the USGS invested millions of dollars to help conduct airborne magnetic and radiometric surveying efforts across New Mexico, Alabama, Montana, and Utah to identify areas that might harbor valuable ore deposits. Recent years have already uncovered veritable motherlodes of critical minerals across America.
In early 2024, a deposit at Halleck Creek in Wyoming was found to contain 2.34 billion metric tons of rare-earth elements, in what is now considered the richest deposit of such elements in the world. In the year prior, Montana was found to contain significant deposits of rare earth minerals too. Meanwhile, in 2023 it was revealed that the Nevada-Oregon border is in fact, home to some 20 to 40 million tons of lithium, the largest known deposit of lithium on Earth.
These discoveries are immensely hopeful, but it’s only here that the real work begins. The International Energy Agency estimates that it takes over 16 years on average for a mine to go from discovery to production, as acquiring permits, designing and building the mine itself, and in some cases the processing facilities are all intermediate steps that take years to complete. Beyond this lies the tricky question of profitability.
On the one hand, it is a positive to have affordable critical minerals as inputs into broader electrification efforts. On the other, persistently low prices make domestic development of these minerals entirely uneconomical. In fact, many American mines that have adequate permits to begin production, like a newly proposed cobalt mine in Lemhi County, Idaho, have stalled simply because global cobalt prices have plummeted. Analysts believe the price action might be a deliberate move on the part of China, which dominates global cobalt production in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has ramped up supply in recent years – a move some think is intended to run competitors out of business. The situation is certainly a Catch-22, but if there’s one way out of this dilemma, it’s through innovation.
I was responding to your suggestion about working on the community center and suggesting it as away to get attention to the cause. Then I threw some more stuff in.
Framing for fame?
Hammering for hype?
Erecting for exposure?
Setting up for stardom?
Raising for renown?
Implementing for image?
Pimping for publicity?
Lots of ways to go with that press package! Most of the info is out there now in the public domain by way of press releases, presentations, the April Belgium presentation showing EXIM status, recovery rates, ore grades, demonstration plant outcomes, AlSc alloy development and commercialization efforts, estimated CM and REE resources, permitting status etc.
https://www.niocorp.com/wp-content/uploads/NioCorp_Project_Update_April-2024_FINAL.pdf
Time to start getting the word out and making the case to the world and more retail investors that Elk Creek and NioCorp are the next best thing, not Halleck Creek and American Rare Earths! Seems like any argument for a quiet period or something similar is long past. The more folks queued up and watching when news hits, the better.
Last youtube channel video was 3 months ago
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAdB3xslsf9go3Ela7vu4lA
Last X/Twitter was almost 3 months ago
https://twitter.com/niocorp
Facebook about 1 a month
https://www.facebook.com/niocorp
The Dirtiest Side of EVs: Rare Earths and Conflict Metals
A difficult look into the most troubling side of the growing proliferation of EVs and hybrid vehicles.
Tim Stevens Apr 25, 2024
It would be nice if NioCorp could find a way to get the word out...many articles and no mentions. Frustrating.
It's the magnetic properties of these elements that make them valuable for the creation of permanent-magnet motors. "Principally, praseodymium, neodymium, dysprosium, terbium, and samarium are the 'magnetic' rare earths,” de Jonge said. “They are used in rare-earth permanent magnets, which are the most powerful magnets in the world and crucial in modern motor systems.
For certain elements, such as dysprosium, China has a veritable stranglehold. "China is the largest producer of dysprosium, with a near monopoly on the refined product," Ambrose Conroy, an auto supply chain expert and founder of Seraph Consulting, said. The likelihood of developing sources elsewhere is low. "The world could but is not likely to develop an alternate source greater than 10 percent of the dysprosium market anytime soon."
New Sources Coming Online
There is some positive news for alternative sourcing. "There is strong government support in both the U.S. and Australia to develop an ex-China rare earth supply chain," Benchmark's de Jonge said. Governmental support means not only helping with regulations but also providing funding to overcome the substantial initial cost of these operations.
Wyoming has the potential to be one of those sources. American Rare Earths recently completed analysis of a proposed operation at Wyoming’s Halleck Creek site. It's still years away, but if the project goes forward, the company’s analysis suggests it could extract as much as 1.8 million metric tons of magnetic rare earths from the single site per year.