President Donald Trump’s push for energy dominance scored a victory with the opening of a groundbreaking coal and rare earth mineral mine in Wyoming, Breitbart reported on Monday.
The Brook Mine, launched in mid-July 2025 outside Ranchester, marks the state’s first new coal mine in decades. Sen. Cynthia Lummis hailed it as a “game changer” for America’s technological and geopolitical edge.
Trump championed the opening of Ramaco Resources, Inc.’s Brook Mine, which produces both coal and critical rare earth minerals vital for reducing U.S. reliance on China. This dual-purpose mine aligns with Trump’s strategy to fast-track permitting and bolster domestic production. It’s a bold counter to years of bureaucratic gridlock under prior administrations.
China controls about 80% of the global rare earth supply, a stranglehold that threatens U.S. technological advancement. Rare earths are embedded in everyday devices—phones, refrigerators, cars, you name it. Lummis didn’t mince words: “Everything that has a button” depends on these minerals, and America’s been caught napping.
The Obama and Biden eras dragged their feet on mine permits, leaving America vulnerable to China’s dominance. “Those administrations slow-walked mine permitting down to the point where you couldn’t get a permit at all,” Lummis told Breitbart News. Trump’s team, she insists, is flipping that script with a vengeance.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum headlined the mine’s grand opening, signaling its strategic weight. Wright shut down suggestions that coal’s role is fading, declaring, “We need both” coal and rare earths. Coal still powers 20% of U.S. electricity, a linchpin for avoiding blackouts and fueling AI innovation.
Lummis praised Trump’s energy crew as “as good as you can get.” Their know-how in slashing red tape, like streamlining the National Energy Policy Act, is already shaking up decades of federal dawdling. Permits that languished for years are finally seeing daylight.
Wyoming’s Brook Mine isn’t just about coal—it’s a rare earth powerhouse. The U.S. has ample reserves to meet domestic needs for semiconductors and magnets, Lummis explained. “We can quit relying on China,” she said, and that’s a geopolitical gut-punch to Beijing’s monopoly.
Trump’s vision extends beyond Wyoming’s borders. He’s brokered a deal with Ukraine to secure additional rare earth supplies, loosening China’s global grip. This move could free up the world’s tech supply chain from Beijing’s chokehold.
“Wyoming’s role is going to be huge,” Lummis beamed with state pride. The Cowboy State exports twelve times more energy than it consumes, a juggernaut in coal, oil, gas, uranium, wind, and solar. It’s got the expertise to match, making it a linchpin for national energy security.
Coal’s not just a fossil fuel—it’s a bulwark against energy shortages. Lummis echoed Wright’s warning: without coal’s 20% share of electricity, brownouts and blackouts would cripple the grid. That’s a risk America can’t afford in the race for AI and data storage supremacy.
Trump’s executive orders are cutting through the regulatory swamp. His team’s focus on expediting permits is a direct rebuke to the anti-mining mindset of past administrations. Lummis called it a triumph over the “anti-mining for anything in America” attitude.
The Brook Mine’s rare earths could power a manufacturing renaissance. Semiconductors and magnets, critical for tech and defense, no longer need to come from China. This mine is a step toward reclaiming America’s industrial might.
China’s rare earth dominance isn’t just economic—it’s a strategic weapon. Lummis underscored the global stakes: “The whole world needs [these minerals] to advance technology.” Trump’s push to diversify supply chains, including with allies like Ukraine, is a masterstroke in geopolitics.
Wyoming’s energy portfolio is a national asset. From coal to uranium for small modular nuclear reactors, the state’s diverse resources can stabilize the grid and fuel innovation. Lummis noted, “We’ve got it all,” and she’s not wrong.
America’s energy future hinges on moves like the Brook Mine. Trump’s policies are a wake-up call to a nation too long complacent about its mineral needs. As Lummis put it, “People don’t adequately appreciate how critical this is” to daily life and national security.
