(SitNews) Ketchikan, Alaska - Ucore Rare Metals Inc. recently hosted Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in separate visits to Ketchikan, Alaska, to discuss Ucore's promise as a secure domestic supply source for rare earth elements (REE) crucial to U.S. defense, manufacturing, and industrial base needs.

"We're delighted to be working with two influential federal Senators, both of whom recognize the importance of secure domestic supply chains for critical materials," said Ucore Advisory Board Member, Randy Johnson of Ketchikan.

Johnson said, "Senator Murkowski has established a long record of interest in critical materials legislation, most recently sponsoring the bipartisan American Mineral Security Act, along with Senator Sullivan, and is actively engaged in the development of a critical REE supply chain in Alaska. We're also thrilled that Senator Sullivan, a decorated member of the U.S. Marine Corps and an active member of the Armed Services Committee, expressed an interest in Ucore's activities, especially with the Defense Production Act Title III program opportunities." 

Ucore also announced that the Company has recently submitted a response to a request for information ("RFI") from the Defense Production Act ("DPA") Title III Office. The RFI response proposed the advancement of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Project's (the "Bokan Project") mine and REE processing and separation plant in Southeast Alaska. The Bokan The DPA Title III program authorizes the Federal Government to procure and install equipment within plants, factories, and other industrial facilities which are owned by private entities. 

Ucore’s flagship property at Bokan Mountain is situated at the southern most part of the Alaskan panhandle, on the southern end of Prince of Wales Island. It is approximately 38 miles southwest of Ketchikan, Alaska and 87 miles northwest of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. The Bokan Mountain project covers 19 sq. miles. In January 2018, Ucore anounced the site selection program identified Ketchikan as the premier location for construction of Ucore's first U.S. Strategic Metals Complex.

Typical DPA Title III actions are designed to stimulate private investment in production resources, by reducing the risks associated with project capitalization. They are also to spur investments required to establish critically needed production capacity to meet the near-term needs of national defense requirements. 

"The Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Project shows promise in delivering the mineral resources that the Department of Defense needs immediately and needs most," said Jim McKenzie, President & CEO of Ucore. "These include Heavy REE such as dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium, metals critically required by the US DOD, which Ucore has at a higher grade than any other NI-43-101 Compliant Resource on US soil. We'd like to thank Senators Murkowski and Sullivan for taking such an active interest in the Bokan Project and look forward to working with both them and US DOD decision-makers to make it a reality." 

"We continue to believe that Alaska, and in particular, Bokan Mountain, is an essential component of any solution to mitigate America's escalating foreign dependence for rare earth elements," said Pat Ryan, Chairman of Ucore.

Ryan said, "Ucore is working actively with the State of Alaska, the Alaskan congressional delegation, and the Department of Defense to unlock the value of the Bokan Project for the emerging North American REE supply chain. This includes the advancement of shovel ready initiatives associated with final engineering and permitting for the mine and continued progress of the first physical component of the Bokan Project - the individual rare earth elements processing and separation plant." 

About Ucore   

Ucore Rare Metals is a development-phase company focused on rare metals resources, extraction and beneficiation technologies with near term potential for production, growth, and scalability. The Company has a 100% ownership stake in the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Project. On March 31, 2014, Ucore announced the unanimous support of the Alaska State Legislature for Senate Bill 99 (2014), which authorized the AIDEA to issue up to USD $145 Million in bonds for the infrastructure and construction costs of the Bokan-Dotson Ridge Rare Earth Project. 

Ucore's vision and plan is to transition to become a leading advanced technology company that provides mineral separation products and services to the mining and mineral extraction industry. This vision includes the development of the Company's rare earth minerals property located at Bokan Mountain in Alaska (an NI-43-101 technical report filed on SEDAR on March 14, 2013) along with its individual rare earth elements processing and separation plant. 

Related:

Bokan Field Project Underway
SitNews - July 21, 2011

Ketchikan Man Appointed to Ucore Rare Metals' Advisory Board
SitNews - February 18, 2014

Ketchikan Selected As Site for Ucore's 1st U.S. Strategic Metals Complex
SitNews - February 1, 2018

Ucore Sets 2020 Production Start Date for Ketchikan SMC
SitNews - March 05, 2018

Before Year Ended, Ucore Moved Closer to Construction of Strategic Metals Complex
SitNews - January 08, 2019

Edited by Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Ucore
www.ucore.com

 

 

 

Representations of fact and opinions in comments posted are solely those of the individual posters and do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.

SitNews ©2019
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska

Articles & photographs that appear in SitNews are considered protected by copyright and may not be reprinted without written permission from and payment of any required fees to the proper freelance writers and subscription services. E-mail your news & photos to editor@sitnews.us Photographers choosing to submit photographs for publication to SitNews are in doing so granting their permission for publication and for archiving. SitNews does not sell photographs. All requests for purchasing a photograph will be emailed to the photographer.