A University of Alaska Fairbanks project to map out the Pacific Northwest’s critical mineral potential won an approximately $7.5M federal grant this winter. But researchers haven’t received a single cent of that funding.

The funds, awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy during the Biden Administration, were frozen and put under review in February. Brent Sheets, who oversees the project at UAF’s Institute of Northern Engineering, said the pause came as a surprise, considering President Trump’s push to ramp up the domestic production of critical minerals, which are prized for their importance in manufacturing and national security and are often in limited supply.

“The outcome of our project will be a regional assessment supporting the Department of Energy’s efforts to develop a nationwid

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