As noted here before, the Chi­nese have a near monop­oly on the pro­duc­tion of high-gauss neodymium mag­nets cru­cial to the pro­duc­tion of elec­tric­ity. Now, a once aban­doned mine in Moun­tain Pass, Cal­i­for­nia is being reopened to try and min­i­mize the dan­gers of geopo­lit­i­cal con­cerns and the sup­ply of rare earths.

These min­er­als, such as samar­ium and neodymium, are prized for chem­i­cal prop­er­ties that make them indis­pens­able in a vari­ety of indus­trial and mil­i­tary uses, includ­ing pol­ish­ing glass, oil refin­ing and man­u­fac­tur­ing mis­sile guid­ance systems.

They also play a cru­cial role in the devel­op­ment of “green” tech­nolo­gies such as hybrid cars, wind tur­bines and com­pact flu­o­res­cent light­bulbs. Heat-resistant mag­nets made with rare-earth alloys are key com­po­nents of the elec­tric motor in the Toy­ota Prius, for example.

Min­ing oper­a­tions ceased at Moun­tain Pass in 2002 amid envi­ron­men­tal con­cerns and cut-rate com­pe­ti­tion from China, although pro­cess­ing of pre­vi­ously dug ore con­tin­ues. [Empha­sis mine]

Given my com­pany, Rogue River Wind, Ltd, hopes to man­u­fac­ture our prod­ucts in the US we are hope­ful that envi­ron­men­tally safe min­ing prac­tices can be main­tained in Moun­tain Pass to pro­vide the neodymium mag­nets we presently buy from China.