Mission

The mission of the United States Magnetic Materials Association is to promote secure, reliable production of the entire supply chain of rare earths and other materials used in magnet production to serve U.S. defense and energy needs.

Latest News


USMMA Sends Open Letter on Heavy Rare Earth Production

October 31, 2012

On Wednesday, the USMMA sent an open letter to Molycorp, Inc. asking for clarification regarding a recent release to congressional staff and posted on their website entitled “Heavy Rare Earth Rhetoric Translated to Today’s Reality.”

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USMMA co-signs letter to Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Lisa Murkowski supporting bipartisan, substitute amendment to the Critical Minerals Policy Act (S. 1113)

July 23, 2012

Washington, DC – On Monday the United States Magnetic Materials Association co-signed a letter to Sens. Jeff Bingaman and Lisa Murkowski supporting their bipartisan, substitute amendment to the Critical Minerals Policy Act (S. 1113). USMMA joined 36 fellow organizations to thank the Senators for introducing legislation that represents such a vital step toward addressing the critical mineral challenges the U.S. currently faces. The letter urged the Senators to schedule a mark-up of the bill and to bring it to the floor of the U.S. Senate before this session of Congress ends.

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United States Magnetic Materials Association urges U.S. House of Representatives
to vote “yes” on H.R. 4402

July 12, 2012

Washington, DC – This week, the United States Magnetic Materials Association sent two letters to all members of the U.S. House of Representatives to urge a “yes” vote on H.R. 4402, the Strategic and Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2011. The bill will allow the U.S. to have a less expensive and more reliable source of supply for raw materials by streamlining the permitting process for U.S. miners. This will ultimately allow greater access to strategic and critical materials, including rare earths.

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China to Stockpile 4 of the 5 “Rare Earths That Matter”

July 3, 2012

(WASHINGTON) - The U.S. Magnetic Materials Association (USMMA) considers the recent announcement that the Chinese government may support a stockpile of heavy rare earth oxides with interest-free loans as further confirmation of the need for a non-China-dependent, domestic and allied nation rare earth supply chain.

These oxides include four of the five rare earth elements classified as critical by renowned industry consultant Jack Lifton of Technology Metals Research: terbium, dysprosium, europium, and yttrium.

USMMA and its member companies have long expressed their concerns to the U.S. Government about the availability of and dependency on Chinese rare earth elements for national security and energy requirements. USMMA’s member companies are capable of creating a stable and secure supply chain for rare earth components, and we continue to urge the U.S. Government to explore solutions to its ongoing supply chain vulnerability.

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US Magnetic Materials Association Letter to all Congress regarding the WTO Case

March 27, 2012

Rare earths are critical and irreplaceable elements used in the manufacturing of components vital to American industry. Rare earths are used in products ranging from handheld devices such as smart phones and power tools to industrial applications such as advanced batteries and medical imagery machines. Even the flat screen televisions in your offices contain rare earth phosphors that provide sharp color displays, and your computers utilize rare earth permanent magnets for fast, efficient data storage on a hard disk drive. Rare earths are indeed a strategic resource to the United States.

Unfortunately, our domestic rare earths industry is nearly nonexistent. The People’s Republic of China now produces more than 94% of the rare earth oxide on the planet, as well as nearly all rare earth metal and alloy. Only one company in the U.S. currently mines rare earths, and it has stated its intent to conduct significant rare earth processing of its U.S.-mined rare earths inside China. China has also used this monopoly status to aggressively pursue its economic and regional diplomatic goals, especially through the use of production and export quotas. These policies have resulted in the relocation to China of nearly all American rare earth product manufacturers, along with thousands of American jobs-- all using technology developed here.

We therefore applaud the President’s recent decision to pursue a complaint against China before the World Trade Organization (WTO). The unfair policies pursued by that country have not only harmed important U.S. policy initiatives, but they have also harmed American workers. However, we believe that the President’s initiative is not enough. It may take years for the WTO to issue a ruling and yet more time for China to exhaust the appeal process. In the interim, more American jobs and technology will be shipped overseas.

Various members of Congress have been working diligently on this issue already this session. We urge you to consider supporting H.R. 1388, the Rare Earths Supply Chain Technology and Resources Transformation Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Coffman; H.R. 2011, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Policy Act, sponsored by Rep. Doug Lamborn and its amended version that includes H.R. 1314, the Resource Assessment of Rare Earths Act, sponsored by Rep. Hank Johnson; and S.1113, the Critical Minerals Policy Act, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
The small businesses of the USMMA appreciate your attention to these issues. We stand ready to provide the U.S. with the mining and processing capabilities needed to meet the energy and technology challenges of the 21st century. We thank you for your support, and we urge you to contact us for further information about this critical issue.

Sincerely,
Ed Richardson
President
U.S. Magnetic Materials Association

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US Magnetic Materials Association gives briefing at Inaugural Meeting of Congressional
Rare Earths Caucus

December 14, 2011

The United States Magnetic Materials Association briefed members of Congress today at the inaugural meeting of the Congressional Rare Earths Caucus. The briefing, entitled “Rare Earths: State of the Industry,” focused on efforts to rebuild a domestic and allied nation rare earth supply chain and develop additional supplies of the critical materials. It also included a discussion on current bills pending before Congress, efforts by the Department of Defense to develop a rare earth inventory, and the USMMA’s six-point plan to address the rare earth supply crisis.

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US Magnetic Materials Association Applauds Inclusion of Rare Earth Inventory Assessment in Fiscal Year 2012 Defense Authorization Bill

December 13, 2011

The United States Magnetic Materials Association today applauded congressional defense authorizers for including a provision in the final version of the Fiscal Year 2012 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to conduct a rare earth inventory assessment at the Department of Defense.

The provision, originally included in the bill as an amendment by Congressman Mike Coffman (R-CO), would require the Defense Logistics Agency to conduct an assessment of rare earth materials, and forms of those materials, required to support the needs of the Department of Defense. It would also consider potential market impacts and steps the department could implement to use the inventory as a catalyst to development of secure sources of rare earth oxides, metals, alloys and magnets. Finally, the assessment will consider the viability of potential producers in the next five years. Findings and recommendations based on the report would be submitted to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees for review.

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USMMA: REEs, Technology Transfer to China and How the West Is Lost

October 11, 2011

This month, officials from the U.S., E.U., and Japan met in Washington to discuss China’s dominance of the rare earths sector and what can be done to address it. 

While America’s leaders seek collaborative, multi-lateral solutions to this issue, they would be wise to remember China’s dominance does not just threaten the price of iPods and fluorescent light bulbs. It is facilitating a gradual technology transfer that threatens to consume our defense industrial base.

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US Magnetic Materials Association Welcomes New Member Companies Texas Rare Earth Resources
and Stans Energy

July 19, 2011

The United States Magnetic Materials Association today announced the addition of Texas Rare Earth Resources and Stans Energy as members of the comprehensive rare earth industry collaboration. The move increases the association’s core membership to ten, innovative companies.

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USMMA Lauds Legislation to Reduce Economic and Security Risks

May 27, 2011

The United States Magnetic Materials Association welcomes the introduction of the Critical Minerals Policy Act of 2011 (S. 1113) by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). This timely legislation, which received the bipartisan support of 16 co-sponsors, represents a comprehensive solution to market uncertainties that plague important elements of the national security and green technology industrial bases. USMMA applauds Senator Murkowski for her leadership on this issue and urges the Senate to move quickly on considering this bill.

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