In a show of bipartisan support for its flagship project, American Rare Earths (ASX: $ARR, OTCQB: $ARRNF, FSE:1BHA) has welcomed a delegation of elected officials from all levels of government to its flagship La Paz project.
Key members of the group of 25 dignitaries delivered enthusiastic and encouraging speeches about American Rare Earths and its work underway to help secure the United States’ domestic critical minerals supply chain.
The federal, state and county officials and staff were updated by company geologists on progress across eight diamond drill holes in the La Paz Southwest Project area. The current drill program is targeting a potential 740-930 million tonnes (mt) that could expand the existing JORC resource of 170.6mt.
Steve Trussell, Executive Director of the Arizona Mining Association, said the project would help the state play “a pivotal role” in developing a domestic U.S. supply of rare earths.
“Projects like these matter to Arizona because Arizona has an incredible mineral endowment, and we need to secure a domestic supply of these critical minerals,” he said. “We just need to get these projects quickly permitted to supply what we need, so we’re not reliant on other countries for these materials. Arizona is a great destination for mining. We are ranked number two globally as an investment-friendly jurisdiction.
“These minerals and the demand for these minerals are going up exponentially. We’re part of the transition to renewable energy. And so, without us, I just don’t know how we can get there. Having that domestic supply is going to be of paramount importance.”
A Vice President at the Arizona Commerce Authority, Jamie Kerr congratulated American Rare Earths on making “a great start” to advancing rare earths production in the U.S.
“American Rare Earths is doing wonderful things. The Commerce Authority is here to assist and help them in any way we can to make their project successful,” Mr. Kerr said.
State Representative at Arizona House of Representatives Leo Biasiucci emphasized the importance of La Paz to the region with his optimistic comments. “What’s happening here with this huge project … the potential for this is enormous.”
“For a very long time,” he added, “a lot of people didn’t think this would be an area that would grow. That’s changing. It’s changing a lot of things we are doing at the legislature, lowering the taxes, making this business-friendly, getting rid of some of the regulations, so we get projects like this moving forward.”
Following the success of this latest VIP event, Company executive Marty Weems, President North America, American Rare Earths Limited, will speak to several dozen State Legislators about La Paz at an event held with the Arizona Mining Association.
