A proposed rare earth mine in northeast Wyoming is one of a string of natural resource projects across the West that may benefit from a federal fast-tracking process. Nearby residents have questions about the safety and viability of the project.
Sundance, Wyoming is no stranger to the idea of a mining project in the nearby Bear Lodge Mountains in the Black Hills National Forest. About 12 miles north of the town, a proposed mine in the recreation area of Bull Hill has been discussed since 2004.
Rare Element Resources (RER) is reigniting a long dormant plan after partnering with General Atomic’s affiliate Synchron. The company drew up plans for a similar project back in 2014 but ran out of funds partially through the environmental review process.
This summer, RER announced a renewed effort to carry out the open pit mining project.
Sundance Times owner and journalist Sarah Pridgeon has reported on the project for over a decade. She says the current project proposal raised concern from nearby Crook County residents about transportation routes for industrial trucks, possible environmental damage caused by the project and the town’s ability to support such a large mining effort.
“Northeast Wyoming is kind of the hub of the rare earth industry in the United States, sort of like the Silicon Valley of rare earths,” Pridgeon said.
That “hub” is likely one reason for RER’s continued interest in the site. The company said the project will strengthen the industry nationally and will pour needed jobs and funding into the local community.
“If permitted and developed, Bear Lodge could strengthen the domestic rare earth supply chain while supporting jobs, investment, and state and local economic benefits in northeastern Wyoming,” RER’s website said.
The Bear Lodge mine is one of about 65 fast-tracked developments across the country through a process called FAST-41, which streamlines permits for large infrastructure projects. FAST-41 was created to improve the transparency and predictability of federal environmental reviews for qualifying infrastructure projects, according to the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council.
These fast-tracked projects are increasing under the Trump administration.
Trump officials created the “transparency program” under a March 2025 Executive Order that bypasses certain requirements that FAST-41 projects must meet, including coordination with local governments.
Since the beginning of President Trump’s second term, the number of projects impacted by this fast-tracking process has increased to the highest amount since the agency was established in 2015. There are currently seven FAST-41 covered projects and one transparency project in Wyoming.
For RER, two minerals present in the Bear Lodge Mountains are of particular interest according to Pridgeon: neodymium and praseodymium. The minerals are used in batteries and commonly utilized in military equipment.
“They're considered to be the most important of the rare elements,” Pridgeon said.
The Bear Lodge proposal received nearly 2,500 public comments, a majority of which opposed the project. The proposal drew increased interest due to the potential proximity to Devil’s Tower about 22 miles away. Many of these public comments were submitted by individuals outside of Crook County concerned about environment and recreational impacts in the area, as well as the significance of the tower as a spiritual site used by nearby tribal members.
For local community members, Pridgeon said, the concerns are a little different. Many residents aren’t opposed to the project, but rather inquisitive as to how the company plans to avoid disruptive development and potential environmental and health repercussions.
One of the main concerns residents expressed to Crook County Commissioners, Pridgeon said, was about the proposed primary route trucks would take to get to the mine. The route runs on Miller Creek Road, the same road outlined in RER’s 2014 project plans. However, according to Pridgeon, the road has changed since then.
“Now, a lot more people live on Miller Creek Road because ours was one of the counties that saw a lot of people move here during the COVID crisis and in the aftermath,” Pridgeon said.
Residents and county commissioners have been discussing possible alternate routes for RER to transport the extracted materials t to a processing facility in Upton. Included in those ideas are suggestions for using an alternate road or building a large-scale conveyor belt to move the minerals.
“That road issue was probably the first thing that came up, but it's not the only thing people are concerned [about]. Not only what's going to be coming down the hill, but also what would happen if there was an accident,” Pridgeon said.
According to Pridgeon, residents want to learn more about possible health hazards and how RER will rehabilitate the environment after mining is finished. The mining is anticipated to leave a hole four hundred feet deep, according to RER. Reclamation for the area would include converting this hole into a lake once the project has been completed. From the start of the project to the end of the reclamation process, the proposal outlines a 22-year timeline for the company’s presence in the area.
The viability of that plan and an environmental review are still being evaluated.
