Odd Lots This Is How The US Can Become a Player in Rare Earth Metals
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Feb 5, 2026 
Heidi Crebo-Rediker, a CFR senior fellow and former State Department chief economist, lays out how the U.S. could challenge China in rare earths. She discusses U.S. resources and recycling opportunities. She explores new extraction technologies, commercialization bottlenecks, and policy tools — including public venture-style capital and coordinated industrial consortia to scale supply.
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Ecosystem, Not Just Reserves
- China built an entire ecosystem (extraction, processing, product demand) to dominate rare earths.
- That ecosystem, not resource endowment, explains their leverage.
Can't Out-Spend China On Mining
- The U.S. cannot out-mine or out-spend China at scale on traditional mining.
- Alternative tech and timing advantages are required to close the security gap faster.
Rare-Earth-Free Magnet Breakthroughs
- Material-engineering produced rare-earth-free magnets (e.g., Niron Magnetics) ready to scale.
- These substitutes can reduce dependence while being commercialized domestically.