Processing rare earths

In 1973 the world was awakened to the fact that one country could not be allowed to control the world by restricting the supply of oil. This resulted in fracking and liquid natural gas and the US became energy independent. The US is now facing a similar situation but this time it is rare earths. Following the better late than never strategy the US is actively gearing up its rare earth industry, focusing on building a domestic supply chain for mining, processing, and manufacturing to reduce reliance on China. Recent government investments, partnerships with private companies, and the establishment of strategic stockpiles are key components of this effort. While mining rare earths is a dirty business, the processing is even more dirty. The US is not currently processing but plans for plants are underway in California, Colorado, Utah and New Hampshire. It is now a race to catch up before China decides to stop exporting rare earths. The US is behind in rare earths for the same reason it is behind in nuclear development. Environmentalist fear and government regulations. It appears that the American people are not concerned about contaminating other countries where environmental laws and worker safety are laxed even to the point of using child labor. It may not seem right to blame the American people but it is the US consumer who benefits from these metals. One example is iridium a metal which allows touch screen. It is too much trouble for people to use up and down arrows.