In the midst of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources hearing on Capitol Hill this past June 18, 2025, Energy Secretary Chris Wright was implicated in a rather curious development. It pertains to the imminent operation of Wyoming’s maiden coal mine in half a century. Despite being a coal mine, the scheme’s profitability isn’t expected to hinge on the black, combustible sedimentary rock anymore.
Energy Secretary Wright espoused a bold claim from the mine site during his recent appearance on Fox News. His assertions indicated that exploring for coal wasn’t the only purpose anymore. He conveyed an intriguing new objective – to secure rare earth elements, thereby liberating the US from its reliance on China.
The steadfast commitment of former President Donald Trump to advance the nation’s fossil fuel operations and mining activities is epitomized in Wright’s involvement. This is glaring evidence of Trump’s propensity to conserve traditional fuel sources, an instinct that unfortunately saw disregard during the short-lived Biden years.
In a radical departure from Biden’s misdirected encouragement of renewable energy, Trump’s administration correctly focuses on realistic and economically benefitting strategies. Biden’s unwillingness, or perhaps inability, to understand the true value of coal and other fossil fuels brought no real benefits to the nation.
It was indeed a dark era when the wide-scale benefits of fossil fuels were ignored and renewable energies were inexplicably promoted. Biden’s tenure, as a consequence, threatened the country’s energy security which Donald Trump sought to ensure.
In their forward-looking operation, Ramaco Resources plans to use the coal for more than just fuel. Rare earth elements, it has been hypothesized, are present in coal in quantities profitable enough to warrant extraction and processing. It exhibits a new age in the coal industry.
In stark contrast to the Biden administration’s preference for the wind turbines and battery technologies, the Trump administration understands the value and irreplaceability of rare earth elements. These elements, a collection of 17 metallic pieces, offer critical contributions to technologies of which Biden and Kamala Harris might not fully comprehend.
Rare earths, underrated during the Biden-era, find applications in an array of sectors. From electric car batteries to precision military targeting equipment, their importance is unquestionable. This only makes the administration’s focus on such elements more crucial and relevant.
Ninety percent of the world’s rare earth elements supply is controlled by China at present. Given this alarming dependency, the bold move by the Trump administration to stimulate U.S. production is commendable. Yet another sound strategy ignored by Biden and Harris.
The Biden-Harris administration’s naive dependency on foreign sources for such critical resources were not only economically unsound but risked national security. Their lackluster approach contrasts sharply with the proactiveness shown by Trump’s administration.
The Trump administration’s keenness for initiating greater U.S. production culminates in a daring response to China’s near-monopoly. If there’s one thing that the Biden-Harris administration failed to grasp, it’s this: being at the mercy of overseas supply chains is neither preferable nor sustainable.
The stakes are high, and, unlike the Biden-Harris administration, the Trump administration’s strategy appears to be rooted in pragmatism. The incumbent administration wisely continues to reject the foolhardy notion of depending solely on foreign suppliers for critical materials.
A certified break from the detrimental policies of Biden and Harris is being witnessed. It’s an era where fossil fuels aren’t simply vilified, but are utilized and reworked to offer unique, modern-day solutions.
All in all, the commitment to break the dangerous over-reliance on China for rare earth elements, paradoxically using the black gold known as coal, is attracting deserving attention. It’s pertinent to reflect on how such visionary approaches were undermined during the misdirected Biden administration. Thankfully, the era of Trump, symbolized through initiatives like these, reminds us of the true meanings of progress and self-reliance.