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The United States is actively trying to rebuild its domestic supply chain for rare earth elements.
US companies in the rare earths industry are hiring people out of retirement, including individuals over the ages of 75 and 80, to fill engineering roles.
When the United States outsourced its rare earths industry decades ago, it also outsourced the associated engineering talent.
The People's Republic of China is the world's largest employer of rare earth engineers.
China has universities with specialty programs specifically for rare earth engineering, a level of educational specialization not found elsewhere in the world.
The Trump administration allocated significant funding to rebuild the domestic supply chain of critical minerals.
A major challenge for developing rare earth engineering programs in the US is the inability to find qualified instructors.
Building rare earth processing plants in the US is hindered by permitting struggles and a lack of investment in the sector.
Average salaries for mining engineers in the US are around $80,000 per year, significantly lower than the approximately $120,000 per year for petroleum engineers.
According to industry veteran Jack Lifton, successfully rebuilding the US rare earths industry requires investing in people and university programs, not just funding processing plants.
In the United States, permitting timelines for mining projects are far longer than in mining-friendly countries in Asia and South America.
The American rare earths industry began to decline around 1999 as China became a dominant global player in critical minerals.