FARMERSBURG, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV)— Governor Mike Braun signed an executive order Monday that claims will make Indiana a national leader in rare earth element recovery.
Executive Order 25-62 titled Supporting Environmental Health and Economic Leadership Through Recovery of Earth Metals and Critical Materials from Indiana Coal Sites. The purpose of the order is to recover rare earth metals and critical materials from coal and its byproducts. With Indiana being a national leader in coal production and in restoring abandoned mine lands, the governor believes the state is in a position to begin a domestic supply of rare earth minerals and critical materials.
These specific earth elements and minerals are used in modern technology, and the news release from the Governor’s Office states that China dominates production of such minerals, and the U.S. is dependent on 12 of the 50 minerals from China. The release also states that Indiana has a large and underutilized reserve of legacy coal byproducts, which could serve a better purpose.
“American advanced manufacturing can’t be dependent on China for rare earth elements. Indiana is stepping up with our new Rare Earth Recovery Council to leverage our coal sites to build an American domestic supply chain for these critical materials that power the modern economy.”
The Executive Order will also create the Indiana Rare Earth Recovery Council to spearhead these efforts. The council will work with industry partners and educational institutions to deploy technologies, evaluate opportunities for localized refining, and build the new supply chain. The governor’s office states that this will not only clean up abandoned mine lands but also make the U.S. less dependent on the Chinese Communist Party.
Braun also signed Executive Order 25-63 titled Ensuring Future Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Hoosiers by the Development of a Strategic Water Inventory and Management Plan. According to the news release, Braun wants to create a research plan to create a way to manage Indiana’s water supply, which is currently unevenly distributed. Braun believes this is important in meeting demands for future economic development.
Under the order, the Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources will lead the first statewide inventory of Indiana’s water resources to assess current usage, availability, and future demand while paying attention to regional disparities. The statewide water planning framework will be developed to align utilities, industries, municipalities, and other users to ensure regional cooperation. The process is also said to include recommendations to enhance Indiana’s water monitoring networks. The secretary will also be creating an online platform available to the public to consolidate and share real-time data on water resources, such as availability, usage trends, and infrastructure status.
