Alas, Ukrainian Rare Earths: But “There’s No There There”? – InvestorNews

“Gertrude Stein, an influential writer who spent much of her life in Paris, famously said in 1937 about her birthplace, Oakland, California, that ‘there’s no there there.’

This aphorism has become a way to describe something that fails to live up to expectations.

The same can be said about Ukrainian rare earths. There are no proven resources of rare earth elements, from atomic number 57 (lanthanum) to 70 (lutetium), in Ukraine. No accessible, mineable, or extractable deposits have been found that would justify the immense cost of developing them into an economically viable deposit.

Rare earths are rarely found as primary deposits, and the world’s supply is mostly a byproduct of other mining operations, with the exception of Australia’s Mt. Weld and California’s Mountain Pass. The notion of Ukrainian rare earths is little more than a misconception—one that even the so-called ‘experts’ in major media outlets have failed to grasp.

If we’re serious about health, safety, economics, and the environment, the best places in the world to mine rare earths are in Australia, Canada, and the United States. Ukraine and Greenland are simply not options.” — Jack Lifton, Co-Chair, Critical Minerals Institute (CMI)

Source Links: Alas, Ukrainian Rare Earths: But “There’s No There There”? – InvestorNews