Federal officials have fast‑tracked a second Black Hills mining project, adding the Bear Lodge Rare Earth Mining Project in northeastern Wyoming to an expedited federal permitting program.
The project, which would produce rare earth elements used in magnets and alloys for defense, electric vehicles and renewable energy, was accepted into FAST‑41, a process designed to speed up reviews by improving agency coordination.
The Bear Lodge proposal has faced years of delays tied to permitting hurdles, funding challenges and global market dominance by China. Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis said the mine could help boost U.S. mineral independence.
It joins the Dewey‑Burdock uranium project near Edgemont as the only Black Hills mining proposals in the FAST‑41 pipeline. Dewey‑Burdock has been under review for nearly two decades amid regulatory and legal challenges.
Bear Lodge is proposed by Rare Element Resources, which recently completed a rare earth processing demonstration plant in Upton, Wyoming.
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