Rare earth metal mining project in southeast Nebraska hits milestone

ELK CREEK, Neb. (WOWT) - Nearly three years after its introduction to the state, the company awarded millions in federal grants to establish a scandium mine in southeast Nebraska has finished exploratory drilling and is now ready to mine rare earth elements.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Defense, which the Trump administration now refers to as the U.S. Department of War , gave $10 million of its $336.4 million in designated production spending to Elk Creek Resources Corp., a NioCorp subsidiary, to establish domestic mineral production of scandium , which strengthens aluminum alloys and makes them less susceptible to corrosion.

In a release sent Monday, Colorado-based NioCorp said it had completed the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project initial drilling program it started