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Traction increasing... New 52 week high today!
NANO technology real world use remains absent!
Grants, raising money and endless research remains excellent.
They remain on a currently unknown collusion course.
Manchin self-interest aside, clean energy demand remains!
Polluter lobbyist payoff plans admit delays not dependence is the future.
Buggy whips and steamships had their time and place too.
Innovation remains the backbone of success.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/california-scrambles-to-find-electricity-to-offset-plant-closures/ar-AAPAYPx?ocid=msedgntp
Great setup in place for a key reversal!
Pieces in place for a great 4th Quarter, excepting stimulus & U.S. debt theatre.
FCEL remains focused on those things it CAN influence/control.
$6.76
Police Pushback on Tim Scott’s Claims
September 28, 2021 at 1:42 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard 75 Comments
Playbook: “The International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Fraternal Order of Police put out a statement this morning explicitly saying that the police reform proposal that collapsed would not have ‘defunded the police’ and would have actually strengthened them.”
“That’s a pretty strong pushback to lead GOP negotiator Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who blamed the death of reform on Democrats trying to defund the police.”
https://politicalwire.com/2021/09/28/police-pushback-on-tim-scotts-claims/
https://www.kaiserin-magazine.com/latest-news/top-police-organizations-push-back-on-gop-sen-tim-scotts-attack-on-democrats-for-why-police-reform-talks-broke-down/
Your DD does your talking; good as gold!
Project completion announcements will solidify their top tier position within the industry.
This industry will finally receive huge incentives like the hydrocarbon industry.
Approved legislation remains the finger on the starting gun trigger.
And helping to clean up the mess will provide free PR.
FuelCell Energy unique, cutting edge technology will be available at a competitive price.
Jobs dip no match for strong ISM numbers!
Likely taper delay very positive short term for FuelCell.
Market demands - booking positive numbers and earnings critical.
Aging bull market becoming increasingly 'show me' over words and guidance.
Infrastructure bills yes, but potential debt limit inaction shock potentially more explosive.
Still, added shares as printing press continues running and potential here advances toward reality.
They're being paid by someone; ain't retail investors!
A for-profit study of self-imposed ignorance turned into deception.
Sorry I overplayed my sarcasm... Due diligence rules!
Shill analysts are a market blight and remain hazardous to one's wealth.
The magnitude of positive developments being ignored and dismissed lacks all logic.
Difficult to imagine a better situation outside of the governmental tap soon being opened wide.
Any thoughts/sympathy regarding shorts and due diligence?
FuelCell efforts continue to seek value from the future.
Why does the company ignore professional analysts?
Why blindly continue their incessant hiring?
Such conflict resolution could effect the share price one day.
Nope, never have...Just been here a L-O-N-G time!
That was a big deal back then...
Option to buy was the most interesting.
Never happened. Suppose it all worked out for the best.
Building news today implies much bigger news, given current circumstances.
ARZ, Re #51353, this should be it!
Scroll down about half way...
https://content.edgar-online.com/ExternalLink/EDGAR/0001493152-17-010403.html?hash=85d38e3ae87b93065a799c03a075e1a219bfeed658a9d8605745107204e919f8&dest=EX6-1_HTM#EX6-1_HTM
EDIT...Serious stuff; SEC should be all over this!
Company claims 8-K, both 5.02 and 8.01 matters, as false.
Submitted without authorization and false seems extremely serious.
I have therefore removed my #51344 and #51347 posts
https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/0001085243/000149315221021553/form8-k.htm
Old Tempe building you are correct...Not current one!
Note new Promissory Note agreement re: if change of 25% ownership.
Getting money then was a good decision.
The failed proactive sales efforts remain inconsequential trivia!
Lost opportunity appears to score higher than actually realizing potential.
Flawless tap dance drivel and clueless guidance remains overrated.
CC to read Q numbers laced with mindless powderpuff inquiries.
Concerns building; close to the vest or really being clueless for guidance.
Fear of publicly setting goals is often the hallmark of non-performers.
Pensive moments, this waiting for the phone to ring. Damn moths.
Show me mighty bottom line profits!
In business how many years?
Absent almost anything,
Anything looks good.
Seems moths are attracted to Form 4's!
That was easy.
Small change but big impact for use availability!
Pushing money around promotes more opportunities for VirTra.
VirTra is likely more interested in finding new ways to slow down the mail.
At least the clock starts running now for booking results.
Bodes well for current backlog and into future.
Simply holding against major market downs already powerful!
Market's antennae already raised as major correction expectation looms.
Political, medical and worldwide mess jumping, with major Afghanistan drags.
But continued money printing by Central Banks continues as capable counterbalance.
New market highs, compounded with increasing volatility likely to continue.
Performance rewarded... Unfortunately, with latent catalyst selloff trigger ever lurking.
A steady flow of FCEL news becoming ever more important.
An earlier, rather than later lucrative Exxon arrangement my preference.
Fortunately, the FCEL dots of achievement continue moving closer and closer together
But... Requiring greater sell surges with less results!
Other buyers are increasingly nipping away at their vile efforts.
Balance continues to get closer, especially with expectation of news.
Capitulation need be fulfilled... But, the storm ends!
Good news; the more you feel it, the closer it is.
That's emotion interfering with judgement.
Emotion kills sound investment.
Due diligence rules!
Excellent progress by CODX!
Potential squandered, again... But numbers were not bad!
The street likely views numbers mostly acceptable.
Like VirTra, many fail to comprehend wasted potential as a loss.
VirTra remains content, plodding along, doing what they want, as they want.
Money left unattended is usually picked up one day.
Could still be VirTra or could be an entity with a brain and bank.
Wrong question. Suggests contentedness, Virtra's primary problem!
Issue being responsibility and performance.
Applying competence to all efforts.
Seeking what is possible.
Without above, there is no number.
And certainly no assumptions.
Investment; not a casino.
Buyout remains ultimate solution toward unlocking shareholder value!
Timing has NEVER been better for Virtra to be acquired and maximize potential.
Current 'picking up the pennies' mantra cannot go unnoticed forever.
An opportunity feast to be devoured by competent concerns.
Unfortunately, having said that, one can only hope!
Driving down the backroads remains reality.
Best wishes; hoping leronlimab continues amazing recovery progress!
The U.S. medical system remains governed by greed..
Right To Try is both wonderful and glaring spotlight of system failure.
Eviction, rather than documenting evidence in a reasoned and scientific manner craps all over any Hippocratic Oath.
Leronlimab needs to be fully studied in an impartial and complete/competent scientific manner.
Order takers are patiently standing(sitting) by...!
Analysts should remove 'mirror' obstruction from forward vision!
Only question being the requisite size hammer necessary.
Seems they share the forecasting skills of TV meteorologists.
Thanks for all your unending, excellent research!
It's just silly. Same song different verse!
Prove me wrong.
Show me all that money.
Show me the necessary shares.
Show me a qualified candidate, capable of actually being approved.
Show me a candidate that has agreed, in writing, to being a board member.
Now, show me all that money again.
And a expert legal team capable of success.
Finally, show me the requisite unified shareholders.
Without the recent 'big money investors' it ain't happening.
Find out if they have any interest in increasing or replacing board.
Simply put; the past, and reality, would suggest only another fools errand.
Recent diluters control scenario; change a 2-way street!
Common retail shareholders remain excess baggage along for the ride.
I remain surprised they did not take a new seat.
Such action still remains possible.
140K shares = thimble.
Spring of 2062 details would be very bold guidance, coming from Bob.
For shareholders, 'DISCOVERY' may FINALLY offer overdue transparency!
Puts everything under oath and allows for rational evaluation by all.
Shareholders need to lose the emotion and simply assess facts.
All good or All bad is rarely the reasoned answer.
Article spotlight on NANO process/progress!
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2021/06/27/one-company-could-hold-the-key-to-unlocking-critical-mineral-supply-chains/?sh=1ca6eb150a65
A move to $8.00ish very soon. Then up!
Market sells are finally drying up.
Then something concrete; the bona fides.
Actions need be turned into real-world results.
Story stocks are no longer solely supported by words.
$6.18
Strong demand drives record revenue at Lynas!
Australia's Lynas Rare Earths on Monday (Jul 26) reported record quarterly revenue, as robust demand led to a jump in sales of the metals it mines and offset softness in prices of neodymium and praseodymium (NdPr).
Demand for NdPr and other rare earth materials has rebounded from a pandemic-driven drop last year as electric vehicles continue to gain popularity amid a global push to reduce carbon emissions.
Advertisement
NdPr is also used in magnets for windfarms, gadgets like smartphones, and military equipment, and Lynas and other western producers stand to benefit from efforts by the United States to curb its reliance on China for the specialized minerals.
"Demand for Lynas products, in particular for our NdPr product family, continued to be very strong through the quarter, leading to record sales and cash collection," Chief Executive Officer Amanda Lacaze said in a statement.
Lacaze said a drop in prices during the quarter was due to "normal correction after the sharp and speculative increases seen in the previous months" and added that prices had strengthened again in July.
The company reported fourth-quarter revenue of A$185.9 million (US$136.97 million), well above A$38 million a year earlier and higher than the prior record of A$119.4 million.
Advertisement
Lynas produced 1,393 tonnes of NdPr in the quarter, up from 775 tonnes a year ago. Its full product range garnered an average selling price of A$39.1/kg, up from A$20.2/kg last year.
Lynas also said it had identified a second potential site in Malaysia to build a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility amid ongoing delays for clearance of an earlier site identified by the Pahang state government.
Source: Reuters/aj
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/strong-rare-earths-demand-drives-record-revenue-australia-lynas-15295830
U.S. Rare Earth supply chain progress!
FreightWaves
Thu, July 22, 2021, 7:50 AM
On July 7, Energy Fuels Inc. made its first regular shipment of a rare earth carbonate called monazite from the United States to Europe.
The metal started in a mine in southern Georgia, then was shipped to a Utah processing plant and finally to a rare earth elements separation facility in Estonia.
The 20-ton shipment created a new U.S.-to-Europe rare earth supply chain, and is one of only two current U.S. operations producing and selling processed rare earth metals.
"We didn't even know we had a role to play in the industry until probably a year and a half ago," Curtis Moore, vice president of marketing and corporate development for Energy Fuels, told FreightWaves.
"We learned that there's this mineral called monazite, which is very high in magnetic rare earth elements — that's neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium — which are the raw materials you need for these permanent rare earth magnets used in everything from electric cars to fighter jets."
Lakewood, Colorado-based Energy Fuels (NYSE: UUUU), a uranium mining company founded in 1987, is one of several companies making recent moves in the U.S. rare earth market. Another is Lynas Corp. (ASX: LYC), an Australian rare earths company, which recently received a $30.4 million federal grant to open the first rare earths separation facility in the U.S.
"We are currently in the planning phase for our proposed integrated U.S. rare earth processing facility, for both light rare earths and heavy rare earths processing and rare earth specialty materials," Lynas officials said in an email to FreightWaves.
Prior to Energy Fuels' shipment of monazite to Estonia, the U.S. had only one big operational rare earths mine, in Mountain Pass, California. Molycorp, which owned the mine and was the only rare earths producer in the country, went bankrupt and closed in 2015.
Last November, the U.S. Department of Defense supported the resumption of mining at Mountain Pass by funding $9.6 million to MP Materials, a private equity-backed company, to restart excavations. Once mined, the rare earth elements must be sent to China for processing.
Lynas hopes to alter that dynamic.
"Rare earth separation capability has been absent from the U.S. for several years, and our proposed facility will provide a secure, domestic source of high-quality separated rare earth materials," Lynas said.
The small Texas town of Hondo — where Lynas plans to build its separation facility — is 43 miles west of San Antonio. Lynas' proposed facility will receive rare earth processed "feedstock" from the company's Mount Weld mine in western Australia.
"We will follow proper processes and procedures before we finalize our construction plans. Once planning and permitting are completed, we expect the facility could be operational in 2-3 years," Lynas said.
The moves by Energy Fuels and Lynas Corp. come at a time when the Biden administration has made it a priority to rejuvenate the U.S. as a player in the production of rare earth materials, thereby reducing the reliance on China for critical rare earth supplies.
China has dominated mining and production of rare earth since the 1980s, accounting for 80% ($110 million) of U.S. imports in 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Processed rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements used in almost all modern technology, including smartphones, X-ray machines, turbine blades, flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, hybrid and electric vehicles, along with U.S. military weapons such as guided-missiles and F-35 fighter jets.
Rare Earth Elements And Their Applications
Lanthanum
Optical glass, hydride batteries
Cerium
Colored glass (flat-panel displays), auto catalytic converters
Praseodymium
Strong magnets, metal alloys, specialty glass, lasers
Neodymium
Permanent magnets
Samarium
Permanent magnets, nuclear reactor controls rods, lasers
Europium
Optical fibers, visual displays, lighting
Gadolinium
Shielding in nuclear reactors, X-ray and MRI systems
Terbium
Visual displays, fuel cells, lighting
Dysprosium
Permanent magnets, lighting
Holmium
Lasers, strong magnets, glass coloring
Erbium
Glass coloring, fiber optic cables
Thulium
Lasers, portable X-ray machines
Ytterbium
Stainless steel, lasers
Lutetium
Petroleum refining
Yttrium
Metal alloys, visual displays, lasers, lighting
Scandium
Metal alloys for aerospace equipment
Promethium
Portable X-ray devices, batteries
Rare earth elements are actually not all that rare, they are just difficult and expensive to extract and process. They also need to be found in clusters dense enough to mine. There are an estimated 2.7 million metric tons of rare earth reserves in the U.S. and more than 15 million metric tons in Canada.
China is home to about 40% of the world's rare earth reserves (44 million metric tons), but more importantly has the technology and refining capacity to handle vast quantities of rare earth elements. That dominance creates security concerns for U.S. officials.
"Anything we can do to reduce the global/U.S. dependency of rare earth elements on China is a big deal," Prakash B. Malla, director of research and development at the Thiele Kaolin Co., told FreightWaves.
Sandersville, Georgia-based Thiele Kaolin is a mining and metals exporter that offers kaolin and silica products. Kaolin and silica can be used in paper, ceramics, plastics, paint manufacturing, food additives, and drugs and vitamins.
"In fact, we will want to have our own sources of these elements in the U.S. It is a national security issue," Malla said. "The lack of this would make us a hostage to China and other countries."
Besides China, other sources of rare earth imports for the U.S. in 2020 included Estonia, 5%, and Japan and Malaysia, at 4% each.
Ironically, the U.S. dominated rare earth mining and production for decades, spanning roughly from the 1940s to the late 1980s. One of the major reasons the U.S. outsourced rare earth processing to China was cost, according to several experts.
"Everything really came to an end in the 1980s, across all commodities, because ultimately China had arrived into the market with material that was obviously significant, vast amounts of material across all spectrums," said Lewis Black, president and CEO of Almonty Industries.
Almonty Industries is a Toronto-based global mining company focused primarily on tungsten mining. The company has mining operations in Spain, Portugal and South Korea.
"Cost was a factor, because obviously, the prices the Chinese offered were much lower in the 1980s than in the U.S. And most [U.S.] rare earth metal mining went out of business," Black said.
Black said another reason the U.S. government outsourced rare earth was that processes used throughout the 1940s to 1980s for getting the metals created harmful wastes.
"There was really no urge or enthusiasm to save the mining operations by the U.S. government because these operations, in terms of how they were operated from the 1940s and onward, there were no rules, they just needed the metals," Black said. "So you had all kinds of environmental issues and pollution of rivers and forests. It was a terrible, terrible time. Politically, there was no will to really save that industry."
Aaron Mintzes, senior policy counsel at environmental group Earthworks, said the U.S. still doesn't have the world's best record "when it comes to the regulation of hard rock mining."
"You can tell because of all the exemptions the mining industry enjoys from what we think of as our bedrock environmental laws that don't apply to hard rock mining," Mintzes said.
Some of the exemptions mining companies use are embedded in laws such as the Clean Water and the Resource Conservation and Recovery acts, the latter of which manages wastes, as well as other federal environmental laws, Mintzes said.
He also said there are organizations that work to create international supply chains in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
"The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a third-party independent certification system for industrial scale hard rock mines, and soon for mineral processing and for exploratory mining as well," Mintzes said. "The reason why IRMA is different from other certification systems: Mining companies are on the board, labor people are on the board, indigenous people are on the board and mineral purchasers are on the board directing their suppliers to source more responsibly."
Raquel Dominguez, a policy associate at Earthworks, said instead of relying completely on mining, the U.S. could create a "circular economy" for rare earth metals by recycling batteries and focusing on new extraction techniques from existing waste.
"I think it's pretty obvious that in the long term, it makes a lot more environmental, fiscal, human-rights sense to not rely solely on just digging giant holes in the ground," Dominguez said. "It makes a lot more sense to put what we already have into some kind of recycling streams."
Lynas said its proposed plant in Texas, like the company's other global operations, will be designed to produce "ethical and environmentally-responsible products."
"Like other industrial operations, the process will produce by-products. The by-product material does not exhibit hazardous characteristics and will meet US standards," Lynas said.
Malla said recent investments by the U.S. government in rare earth mining — such as Lynas and Mountain Pass — are steps in the right direction.
"The U.S. needs to develop domestic sources of rare earths. Also, we invest in sustainable technologies for extraction, concentration and separation of rare earths," Malla said.
Once operational, Lynas' Hondo facility is expected to produce approximately 5,000 tons annually of light rare earths products, including 1,250 tons annually of the rare earth metals neodymium and praseodymium, which power some of the strongest types of rare earth magnets.
Lynas said the Hondo facility will serve the company's U.S. customers and "support the U.S. government's moves to strengthen the industrial base."
"U.S. industrial users currently source the vast majority of their materials from China producers. Lynas will provide these users with the option to source from a local producer," the company said. "Security of supply is an essential foundation for the renewal of downstream specialty metal making and permanent magnet manufacturing in the U.S."
Moore said Energy Fuels gets its sand ore from a mine in southern Georgia, which contains both the rare earth element monazite and naturally occurring uranium. The monazite sand ore is mined by ??Chemours (NYSE: CC), and is processed by Energy Fuels in Utah.
"The monazite has uranium and thorium in it. It has been widely recognized as being a very valuable rare earth mineral, but because it was radioactive, it was all going to China, until we came along," Moore said.
Energy Fuels is sending its shipments of rare earth carbonates to a separation facility owned by Neo Performance Materials Inc. (OTCMKTS: NOPMF) in Sillamäe, Estonia.
Moore said the carbonates Energy Fuels mine and process are not dangerous.
"We work with low-level natural radioactive materials, not highly enriched stuff or anything like that. We started processing this monazite at our White Mesa Mill facility in Utah. We were able to produce a nice, intermediate rare earth product, this carbonate," Moore said.
The sand ore mined in Georgia is sent to Energy Fuels' Utah mill to be processed for monazite and uranium. The shipments are picked up by trucks and taken to Salt Lake City. The container is then put on railcars and shipped to the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Then it is loaded on an ocean vessel and sent to Estonia for separation. The total travel time is about 40 days.
Like Lynas, Energy Fuels is exploring opening a separation facility in the U.S. to cut down on shipping costs and optimize profits. The company has hired a French consulting group to help Energy Fuels explore how to proceed.
"It makes a lot of sense to perform as many refining steps in one location as possible. That way, you're not shipping material all over the place," Moore said. "We're planning to install as many of these steps as possible at the White Mesa Mill in Utah."
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/us-wants-reclaim-critical-rare-145031373.html
U.S. Rare Earth supply chain progress!
FreightWaves
Thu, July 22, 2021, 7:50 AM
On July 7, Energy Fuels Inc. made its first regular shipment of a rare earth carbonate called monazite from the United States to Europe.
The metal started in a mine in southern Georgia, then was shipped to a Utah processing plant and finally to a rare earth elements separation facility in Estonia.
The 20-ton shipment created a new U.S.-to-Europe rare earth supply chain, and is one of only two current U.S. operations producing and selling processed rare earth metals.
"We didn't even know we had a role to play in the industry until probably a year and a half ago," Curtis Moore, vice president of marketing and corporate development for Energy Fuels, told FreightWaves.
"We learned that there's this mineral called monazite, which is very high in magnetic rare earth elements — that's neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium — which are the raw materials you need for these permanent rare earth magnets used in everything from electric cars to fighter jets."
Lakewood, Colorado-based Energy Fuels (NYSE: UUUU), a uranium mining company founded in 1987, is one of several companies making recent moves in the U.S. rare earth market. Another is Lynas Corp. (ASX: LYC), an Australian rare earths company, which recently received a $30.4 million federal grant to open the first rare earths separation facility in the U.S.
"We are currently in the planning phase for our proposed integrated U.S. rare earth processing facility, for both light rare earths and heavy rare earths processing and rare earth specialty materials," Lynas officials said in an email to FreightWaves.
Prior to Energy Fuels' shipment of monazite to Estonia, the U.S. had only one big operational rare earths mine, in Mountain Pass, California. Molycorp, which owned the mine and was the only rare earths producer in the country, went bankrupt and closed in 2015.
Last November, the U.S. Department of Defense supported the resumption of mining at Mountain Pass by funding $9.6 million to MP Materials, a private equity-backed company, to restart excavations. Once mined, the rare earth elements must be sent to China for processing.
Lynas hopes to alter that dynamic.
"Rare earth separation capability has been absent from the U.S. for several years, and our proposed facility will provide a secure, domestic source of high-quality separated rare earth materials," Lynas said.
The small Texas town of Hondo — where Lynas plans to build its separation facility — is 43 miles west of San Antonio. Lynas' proposed facility will receive rare earth processed "feedstock" from the company's Mount Weld mine in western Australia.
"We will follow proper processes and procedures before we finalize our construction plans. Once planning and permitting are completed, we expect the facility could be operational in 2-3 years," Lynas said.
The moves by Energy Fuels and Lynas Corp. come at a time when the Biden administration has made it a priority to rejuvenate the U.S. as a player in the production of rare earth materials, thereby reducing the reliance on China for critical rare earth supplies.
China has dominated mining and production of rare earth since the 1980s, accounting for 80% ($110 million) of U.S. imports in 2020, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Processed rare earth metals are a group of 17 elements used in almost all modern technology, including smartphones, X-ray machines, turbine blades, flat-screen TVs and computer monitors, hybrid and electric vehicles, along with U.S. military weapons such as guided-missiles and F-35 fighter jets.
Rare Earth Elements And Their Applications
Lanthanum
Optical glass, hydride batteries
Cerium
Colored glass (flat-panel displays), auto catalytic converters
Praseodymium
Strong magnets, metal alloys, specialty glass, lasers
Neodymium
Permanent magnets
Samarium
Permanent magnets, nuclear reactor controls rods, lasers
Europium
Optical fibers, visual displays, lighting
Gadolinium
Shielding in nuclear reactors, X-ray and MRI systems
Terbium
Visual displays, fuel cells, lighting
Dysprosium
Permanent magnets, lighting
Holmium
Lasers, strong magnets, glass coloring
Erbium
Glass coloring, fiber optic cables
Thulium
Lasers, portable X-ray machines
Ytterbium
Stainless steel, lasers
Lutetium
Petroleum refining
Yttrium
Metal alloys, visual displays, lasers, lighting
Scandium
Metal alloys for aerospace equipment
Promethium
Portable X-ray devices, batteries
Rare earth elements are actually not all that rare, they are just difficult and expensive to extract and process. They also need to be found in clusters dense enough to mine. There are an estimated 2.7 million metric tons of rare earth reserves in the U.S. and more than 15 million metric tons in Canada.
China is home to about 40% of the world's rare earth reserves (44 million metric tons), but more importantly has the technology and refining capacity to handle vast quantities of rare earth elements. That dominance creates security concerns for U.S. officials.
"Anything we can do to reduce the global/U.S. dependency of rare earth elements on China is a big deal," Prakash B. Malla, director of research and development at the Thiele Kaolin Co., told FreightWaves.
Sandersville, Georgia-based Thiele Kaolin is a mining and metals exporter that offers kaolin and silica products. Kaolin and silica can be used in paper, ceramics, plastics, paint manufacturing, food additives, and drugs and vitamins.
"In fact, we will want to have our own sources of these elements in the U.S. It is a national security issue," Malla said. "The lack of this would make us a hostage to China and other countries."
Besides China, other sources of rare earth imports for the U.S. in 2020 included Estonia, 5%, and Japan and Malaysia, at 4% each.
Ironically, the U.S. dominated rare earth mining and production for decades, spanning roughly from the 1940s to the late 1980s. One of the major reasons the U.S. outsourced rare earth processing to China was cost, according to several experts.
"Everything really came to an end in the 1980s, across all commodities, because ultimately China had arrived into the market with material that was obviously significant, vast amounts of material across all spectrums," said Lewis Black, president and CEO of Almonty Industries.
Almonty Industries is a Toronto-based global mining company focused primarily on tungsten mining. The company has mining operations in Spain, Portugal and South Korea.
"Cost was a factor, because obviously, the prices the Chinese offered were much lower in the 1980s than in the U.S. And most [U.S.] rare earth metal mining went out of business," Black said.
Black said another reason the U.S. government outsourced rare earth was that processes used throughout the 1940s to 1980s for getting the metals created harmful wastes.
"There was really no urge or enthusiasm to save the mining operations by the U.S. government because these operations, in terms of how they were operated from the 1940s and onward, there were no rules, they just needed the metals," Black said. "So you had all kinds of environmental issues and pollution of rivers and forests. It was a terrible, terrible time. Politically, there was no will to really save that industry."
Aaron Mintzes, senior policy counsel at environmental group Earthworks, said the U.S. still doesn't have the world's best record "when it comes to the regulation of hard rock mining."
"You can tell because of all the exemptions the mining industry enjoys from what we think of as our bedrock environmental laws that don't apply to hard rock mining," Mintzes said.
Some of the exemptions mining companies use are embedded in laws such as the Clean Water and the Resource Conservation and Recovery acts, the latter of which manages wastes, as well as other federal environmental laws, Mintzes said.
He also said there are organizations that work to create international supply chains in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
"The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is a third-party independent certification system for industrial scale hard rock mines, and soon for mineral processing and for exploratory mining as well," Mintzes said. "The reason why IRMA is different from other certification systems: Mining companies are on the board, labor people are on the board, indigenous people are on the board and mineral purchasers are on the board directing their suppliers to source more responsibly."
Raquel Dominguez, a policy associate at Earthworks, said instead of relying completely on mining, the U.S. could create a "circular economy" for rare earth metals by recycling batteries and focusing on new extraction techniques from existing waste.
"I think it's pretty obvious that in the long term, it makes a lot more environmental, fiscal, human-rights sense to not rely solely on just digging giant holes in the ground," Dominguez said. "It makes a lot more sense to put what we already have into some kind of recycling streams."
Lynas said its proposed plant in Texas, like the company's other global operations, will be designed to produce "ethical and environmentally-responsible products."
"Like other industrial operations, the process will produce by-products. The by-product material does not exhibit hazardous characteristics and will meet US standards," Lynas said.
Malla said recent investments by the U.S. government in rare earth mining — such as Lynas and Mountain Pass — are steps in the right direction.
"The U.S. needs to develop domestic sources of rare earths. Also, we invest in sustainable technologies for extraction, concentration and separation of rare earths," Malla said.
Once operational, Lynas' Hondo facility is expected to produce approximately 5,000 tons annually of light rare earths products, including 1,250 tons annually of the rare earth metals neodymium and praseodymium, which power some of the strongest types of rare earth magnets.
Lynas said the Hondo facility will serve the company's U.S. customers and "support the U.S. government's moves to strengthen the industrial base."
"U.S. industrial users currently source the vast majority of their materials from China producers. Lynas will provide these users with the option to source from a local producer," the company said. "Security of supply is an essential foundation for the renewal of downstream specialty metal making and permanent magnet manufacturing in the U.S."
Moore said Energy Fuels gets its sand ore from a mine in southern Georgia, which contains both the rare earth element monazite and naturally occurring uranium. The monazite sand ore is mined by ??Chemours (NYSE: CC), and is processed by Energy Fuels in Utah.
"The monazite has uranium and thorium in it. It has been widely recognized as being a very valuable rare earth mineral, but because it was radioactive, it was all going to China, until we came along," Moore said.
Energy Fuels is sending its shipments of rare earth carbonates to a separation facility owned by Neo Performance Materials Inc. (OTCMKTS: NOPMF) in Sillamäe, Estonia.
Moore said the carbonates Energy Fuels mine and process are not dangerous.
"We work with low-level natural radioactive materials, not highly enriched stuff or anything like that. We started processing this monazite at our White Mesa Mill facility in Utah. We were able to produce a nice, intermediate rare earth product, this carbonate," Moore said.
The sand ore mined in Georgia is sent to Energy Fuels' Utah mill to be processed for monazite and uranium. The shipments are picked up by trucks and taken to Salt Lake City. The container is then put on railcars and shipped to the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Then it is loaded on an ocean vessel and sent to Estonia for separation. The total travel time is about 40 days.
Like Lynas, Energy Fuels is exploring opening a separation facility in the U.S. to cut down on shipping costs and optimize profits. The company has hired a French consulting group to help Energy Fuels explore how to proceed.
"It makes a lot of sense to perform as many refining steps in one location as possible. That way, you're not shipping material all over the place," Moore said. "We're planning to install as many of these steps as possible at the White Mesa Mill in Utah."
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/us-wants-reclaim-critical-rare-145031373.html
Co-Diagnostics announces new International CoPrimer™ Patent!
Co-Diagnostics, Inc. Strengthens Intellectual Property Portfolio with New International CoPrimer™ Patent
SALT LAKE CITY, July 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Co-Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CODX), a molecular diagnostics company with a unique, patented platform for the development of molecular diagnostic tests, announced today that it has added to its suite of intellectual property protection after being awarded a patent from the Republic of Korea's Intellectual Property Office for the Company's CoPrimer™ technology.
Developed in 2013, Co-Diagnostics' solely-owned CoPrimer technology received its first patent from the United States Patent Office in 2018, and underpins the Company's molecular diagnostic test products that have been deployed in laboratories and hospitals in over 50 countries and across the United States. Among the numerous molecular diagnostic products using CoPrimer technology to have received regulatory clearance is the Logix Smart™ COVID-19 Test kit, of which the Company has sold millions since the pandemic began and which the Company had previously announced is effective in detecting all known strains and variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the Delta variant. The test was also recently utilized in several international peer-reviewed papers
"We believe that this patent granted by South Korea provides additional validation of the uniqueness and versatility of the CoPrimer platform," remarked Dwight Egan, Chief Executive Officer of Co-Diagnostics. "The vast majority of the millions of tests we have sold in the last year and a half have been to repeat customers, who continue to purchase the test because they have come to depend on the quality and accuracy of this CoPrimer-based assay.
"Our durable business model of selling tests to United States CLIA labs and their international equivalents continues to drive strong sales. The Company's COVID-19 test kit has been authorized for use as an in vitro diagnostic (IVD) by regulatory authorities in the United States, the European Community, Mexico, India, Australia, and others. Importantly, CoPrimer technology is also used in the products manufactured and marketed by CoSara Diagnostics, our Joint Venture in India. In addition to the Company's development of its at-home and point-of-care Eikon platform for infectious disease diagnostics, this technology also serves as the foundation for Co-Diagnostics' other verticals, including our growing mosquito abatement/vector control vertical, AgBio, liquid biopsy technology, and next-gen sequencing applications, and we are pleased that this new patent provides us with even more thorough and robust protection for our most important intellectual property."
About Co-Diagnostics, Inc.:
Co-Diagnostics, Inc., a Utah corporation, is a molecular diagnostics company that develops, manufactures, and markets a state-of-the-art diagnostics technology. The Company's technology is utilized for tests that are designed using the detection and/or analysis of nucleic acid molecules (DNA or RNA). The Company also uses its proprietary technology to design specific tests to locate genetic markers for use in industries other than infectious disease and license the use of those tests to specific customers.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "estimates," "intends," "may," "plans," "will" and similar expressions, or the negative of these words. Such forward-looking statements are based on facts and conditions as they exist at the time such statements are made and predictions as to future facts and conditions. Forward-looking statements in this release include statements regarding the (i) use of funding proceeds, (ii) expansion of product distribution, (iii) acceleration of initiatives in liquid biopsy and SNP detection, (iv) use of the Company's liquid biopsy tests by laboratories, (v) capital resources and runway needed to advance the Company's products and markets, (vi) increased sales in the near-term, (vii) flexibility in managing the Company's balance sheet, (viii) anticipation of business expansion, (ix) benefits in research and worldwide accessibility of the CoPrimer technology and its cost-saving and scientific advantages, and (x) the impact that known and unknown COVID-19 variants may have on us and our products, our customers and suppliers, including disruptions and inefficiencies in the supply chain. Forward-looking statements are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from those contemplated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Readers of this press release are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement relating to matters discussed in this press release, except as may be required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Co-Diagnostics
For further information: Jennifer Webb, Coltrin & Associates, Inc, +1.267.912.1173, jennifer_webb@coltrin.com; Company Contact, Andrew Benson, Head of Investor Relations, +1 801-438-1036, investors@codiagnostics.com
https://news.codiagnostics.com/2021-07-22-Co-Diagnostics,-Inc-Strengthens-Intellectual-Property-Portfolio-with-New-International-CoPrimer-TM-Patent
Australia $10.9 million grant to Lynas!
(Reuters) - Lynas Rare Earths Ltd said on Thursday it got a A$14.8 million ($10.9 million) grant from Australia to commercialise a new mineral refining process that produces high-purity rare-earth carbonate.
The grant comes as nations worldwide look at ways to curb their reliance on China for the specialised minerals, which are used in a range of products including electric vehicles, smartphones and military equipment.
Lynas, the world's largest producer of rare earths outside China, said the new refining process would be used at its upcoming A$500 million processing facility in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia.
About half the cost of implementing the new process at Kalgoorlie will be met by the grant, which was made as part of the Australian government's Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
According to a government website https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/modern-manufacturing-initiative-manufacturing-integration, the initiative supports and co-funds projects to encourage linkages between local businesses and domestic and international firms.
Lynas said it could supply the rare-earth carbonate produced in Kalgoorlie to its plant in Malaysia and its proposed facility in the United States.
Shares of the company rose as much as 8.2% in their biggest intraday jump in five months.
($1 = 1.3604 Australian dollars)
(Reporting by Harish Sridharan in Bengaluru; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/australia-grants-lynas-11-million-022450225.html
More proven variations providing solutions for more circumstances!
I remain hopeful FuelCell management will sell SOLUTIONS, not just CLEAN.
Solving a customer NEED, enhanced by cutting edge product performance and efficiency.
Providing the win-win-win. Given infrastructure support, almost like they can't afford not do buy the product.
'Miracle Modules', not mystery, to plug-in and place about anywhere a power, heat or clean carbon solution is needed.
All completions spawn sales!
Selling pioneers most difficult...
The followers will provide the real revenue.
Easier to sell/visualize what has already been achieved.
High volume bounce off $6.50 would suit me!
Investing in the future, at a reduced cost, remains an opportunity.
Stimulus money peaking product interest will provide a welcome tailwind.
My main concern is their failure to offer 'drop-in' modular systems.
Their sales program needs to promote efficiently patching-up a poor grid.
Replace the current fuel cell sales mystery with a no-hype small footprint solution.