Indiana Eyes Rare Earths in Coal Waste

State officials and scientists convened to explore extracting rare earth elements from coal production waste, aiming to boost domestic supply and remediate abandoned mine lands.

Gov. Mike Braun established a 13-member Rare Earth Recovery Council to develop technologies and market pathways for recovering the 17 critical metallic elements found dispersed in coal refuse, slurry, gob piles and sludge. Federal and state geologists warned the deposits are low-grade and finely dispersed, making extraction technically challenging and potentially costly, but plentiful across Indiana’s roughly 1,900 abandoned mine sites.

Maria Mastalerz of the Indiana Geological and Water Survey described efforts to identify "sweet spots" and optimize recovery, while Kit Turpin of the Abandoned Mine Land Program highlighted samples showing about 10 grams of yttrium per cubic yard and large, locked-up concentrations of other critical minerals.

Federal officials from the Office of Surface Mining and the USGS praised Indiana’s pilot efforts and signaled support. The council’s mandate includes advancing cleanup programs, partnering with industry and academia on processing technologies, building in-state refining capacity and training a workforce, with annual updates to the governor and a final report due by the end of 2026.

Stakeholders recommended inviting industry partners and more academic researchers as the council balances reclamation funding rules with commercial recovery prospects.