We've been saying this since day one of this electric vehicle frenzy: if we don't mine the materials that are needed to power these vehicles right here in America, all we are doing is sending a massive check to China.

Bottom line: if you want electric vehicles or other types of "green" technology, you're going to need rare earth minerals- a LOT of them.

Mining jobs bring a lot of wealth to the Treasure State of Montana. I know we have miners in Libby, Montana that have to get on airplane to Alaska in order to keep their high wage mining jobs. What if they could mine right here in Montana?

As Evelyn Pyburn reports in the Big Sky Business Journal Hot Sheet, there's apparently a big opportunity for a rare earth mine in Western Montana being talked about right now.

Big Sky Business Journal: A Nevada mining company claims to have discovered the highest-quality deposit of rare-earth elements in the nation at the far south end of the Bitterroot National Forest in Montana. Sheep Creek holdings is billed as containing "at least 12 of the critical risk elements as defined by the U.S. Geological Survey." Key elements at the site are neodymium and praseodymium, both of which have a wide variety of uses, including in electric vehicles.

On Monday morning's "Montana Talks with Aaron Flint" radio show, Evelyn Pyburn quoted the president of US Critical Minerals. He said that over the course of his career independently evaluating rare earth properties within the US, he has never encountered a property with the grades being generated by Sheep Creek. "So it's apparently a really big find," added Pyburn.

Here's a report that was featured at Mining.com. The Missoulian also featured a report.

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