The United States is the world's third-largest producer of molybdenum, after China and Chile. Major molybdenum-producing mines dot the Rocky Mountain Range.
Molybdenum in the U.S. and elsewhere is usually produced as a by-product or co-product, often of copper. There are, however, a few mines that primarily produce molybdenum in Colorado and Idaho. In fact, the Climax mine in Colorado (a primarily molybdenum mine) is historically the world's largest source of molybdenum.
The United States is also home to the world's second-largest reserves of molybdenum, according to the USGS. They estimate the U.S. has 2.7 million metric tons of molybdenum reserves and 5.4 million tons of identified resources. That's enough to supply the entire world's current demand for more than 25 years.
With such vast reserves, and as one of the world's leaders of molybdenum mining, the United States could easily become a key producer of molybdenum-99. That could open the door to new export markets, increasing revenues, creating more jobs... the whole deal.
As mentioned, the other top molybdenum producers are China and Chile. Neither of those countries has its own molybdenum-99 production, either. Like the U.S., they are also dependent on imports.
Domestic molybdenum-99 production could position the United States as the leading supplier of the stuff.
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