A major mining project in western Alaska is generating fresh momentum for the United States’ push to break China’s grip on key industrial minerals — and the latest findings suggest the effort may be even more consequential than expected.
According to Fox News, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has championed the GraphiteOne project near Nome since its inception. President Donald Trump accelerated federal support during his first administration, aligning the effort with his broader “American energy dominance” agenda.
Now, newly identified rare earth elements at the site could dramatically expand the project’s strategic value.
For years, the U.S. has relied heavily on foreign suppliers for both rare earth elements (REEs) and graphite. As of 2024, the country was at least 93% import-dependent on each, according to the International Energy Agency.
China has historically produced roughly 90% of the world’s graphite, a dominance Beijing has reinforced through export limits and tight control over global supply chains.
The Graphite Creek deposit was already considered the largest known graphite resource in the United States. But confirmation that the site also contains REEs signals a broader opportunity to build out a domestic supply chain with major implications for manufacturing, national security, and emerging technologies.
GraphiteOne President Anthony Huston called the discovery proof of a “truly generational deposit.” He said the project has identified two materials that qualify under the Defense Production Act, with plans for recovered graphite to support an advanced battery anode facility in Ohio.
Given the “robust economics of our planned complete graphite materials supply chain,” Huston said, recovering rare earth elements as a by-product “will maximize the value.”
The rare earths identified include neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium — minerals crucial for magnets, fiberoptics, renewable energy components, and consumer electronics.
The site’s chief geologist noted that garnet-rich ore found in the deposit can absorb certain REEs into its structure, enhancing recovery potential.
In his State of the State address earlier this year, Dunleavy praised the project as the largest of its kind in North America and urged continued support from state and federal officials.
Huston said the governor recognizes Alaska’s role in providing minerals that are “transforming the 21st century” and reducing reliance on “entities of concern.”
While Alaska has surged ahead with development, other states have also identified domestic reserves. In Pennsylvania, researchers and former lawmakers have pointed to REEs found in anthracite coal country. Former Rep. Lou Barletta secured funding for a pilot program in 2018 to explore extracting REEs from coal wastewater.
Progress there has been slower, but researchers at Penn State announced in September that they developed new methods to recover cobalt, manganese, and nickel from acid mine drainage and fly ash — underscoring that multiple U.S. regions could play a role in reshaping mineral supply chains.
Together, the discoveries strengthen hopes that the U.S. can chip away at China’s long-held dominance in materials essential to energy, defense, and high-tech manufacturing.
