The U.S. secretary of energy and other elected officials are preparing to travel to Wyoming for the opening of the first new coal mine in the state in more than five decades.
The ribbon cutting for the Brook Mine Carbon Ore Rare Earth project will take place July 11. National and state leaders are expected to speak at the event in Ranchester.
“I’m looking forward to attending Ramaco’s opening of the nation’s first rare earth mine in more than 70 years and the first new coal mine in Wyoming in over 50 years,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a statement to FOX Business.
“This is just the beginning of an administration-wide effort to unleash the American mineral development needed to secure U.S. energy dominance, fuel economic growth, and safeguard our national security,” he continued.
Miners walk out of the entrance of the newly opened Ramaco Resources Inc. Stonecoal Alma mine near Wylo, W.Va. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Ramaco Resources says the mine project will help the U.S. reduce its “foreign reliance on critical minerals essential to defense, technology, and clean energy.”
“This is more than a ribbon cutting — it’s a declaration of America’s resolve to reclaim its leadership in critical minerals and energy independence,” Randall W. Atkins, chairman and chief executive of Ramaco Resources, said in a statement.
“We are proud that Ramaco will be developing the first new mine to lead the U.S. in creating a viable domestic supply line of strategic rare earths and critical minerals,” he continued.
A miner walks next to mantrip shuttle tracks after exiting the newly opened Ramaco Resources Inc. Stonecoal Alma mine near Wylo, W.Va. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
The company has operations in West Virginia, Virginia and Wyoming. Its executive offices are located in Lexington, Kentucky.
“Wyoming continues to be a leader in energy innovation, including the expansion of our critical mineral industries,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement.
“With support from the Energy Matching Funds Program, we are celebrating the exciting potential for Wyoming coal and rare earth minerals, along with their role in the expansion of our state’s energy economy,” he concluded.