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Kevin Cramer

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John Hoeven

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UNDERWOOD – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of North Dakota for award negotiations under a $75 million initiative to advance the recovery of rare earth elements and other critical materials from coal and coal-based feedstocks. The pilot project will be located at Falkirk Mine at Underwood and is one of five projects selected nationwide.

In a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the congregational delegation cited the university’s leadership in developing technologies to recover critical minerals from North Dakota lignite.

“North Dakota has long been a leader in the development of our natural resources, benefiting the state and the nation. Extracting critical minerals, particularly through UND’s best and brightest researchers and engineers, is the next step. This award will help jumpstart domestic critical mineral production while also keeping our state’s excellence at the center of it all,” U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-ND, said.

“This selection builds on North Dakota’s leadership in energy innovation and will help strengthen our domestic critical minerals supply chain,” said U.S. Sen. John Hoeven, R-ND. “UND’s work will support new opportunities to harness our state’s abundant lignite reserves while helping meet the nation’s energy, manufacturing and national security needs.”