ITEM 1. BUSINESS
CORPORATE BACKGROUND
Rare Element was incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada on June 3, 1999 as Spartacus Capital Inc. We are currently governed under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the “BCBCA”). Our executive office address is P.O. Box 271049, Littleton, Colorado 80127. The telephone number for our executive office is (720) 278-2460. We maintain a corporate website at www.rareelementresources.com.
Originally organized as a “capital pool” company whose activities were focused on the identification and completion of a qualifying transaction as required by the rules of the TSX-V, we transitioned to a “venture company” on July 25, 2003, coincident with (1) the completion of a reverse takeover acquisition of Rare Element Holdings Ltd. (the qualifying transaction), (2) a name change of “Spartacus Capital Inc.” to “Rare Element Resources Ltd.,” and (3) the completion of a private placement. Rare Element Holdings Ltd.’s main assets include its proprietary rare earth processing and separation technology and its 100% interest in a group of unpatented mining claims and repurchase rights to adjacent private property, together known as the Bear Lodge Property, owned through its wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., a Wyoming corporation,
SUBSIDIARIES
We have one direct wholly owned subsidiary, incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, Canada in 1996 under the name “Rare Element Holdings Ltd.” That subsidiary has one direct wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., incorporated in 1997 in the state of Wyoming, USA, formerly known as Paso Rico (USA), Inc. (“Paso Rico”).
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
We are focused on advancing the Bear Lodge REE Project located near the town of Sundance in northeast Wyoming. The Bear Lodge REE Project consists of several large, disseminated REE deposits and a hydrometallurgical plant proposed to be located near Upton, Wyoming. The Bear Lodge REE Project is one of the highest-grade REE deposits identified in North America and one of the highest-grade Eu deposits in the world. In addition, the Bear Lodge REE Project has a favorable distribution of the remaining CREE.
In its development efforts for the Bear Lodge REE Project, the Company has done extensive laboratory bench-scale and pilot plant testing on metallurgical processes to recover saleable rare earth products and has filed six patents on its metallurgical processing innovations. Among them, the Company has pilot tested and filed for patent protection on a rare earth separation technique that modifies conventional solvent extraction methods used for rare earth separation to be more cost efficient and environmentally sound, involving minimal waste effluents discharged from the process.
During the first quarter of 2016, we placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all permitting activities were suspended. Based on current permitting timetables and other factors, we anticipate that we could receive all permits and licenses for the Bear Lodge REE Project approximately 18 to 30 months after resuming permitting efforts. Once the decision to resume development activities is made, our plan is to advance engineering in preparation for the Feasibility Study, including an evaluation of a potential modular approach to development beginning with a smaller initial production facility which would then be scaled up. Our ability to begin construction activities on the Bear Lodge REE Project will be subject to various factors including: (i) the availability of adequate capital, (ii) a positive Feasibility Study, (iii) securing off-take customers at adequate prices, (iv) obtaining necessary permits and licenses, and (v) approval from the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”). The Bear Lodge REE Project deposit is located near excellent mining infrastructure, including good road access and power lines within two kilometers of the property. The Bear Lodge REE Project site is 100 kilometers east of Gillette, Wyoming, a major infrastructure, support and logistics center for coal mines in the Powder River Basin that should provide for ready access to the required production supplies and materials as well as skilled labor. Additionally, the deposit is situated only 64 kilometers from the nearest railhead at Upton, Wyoming,
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where the proposed hydrometallurgical plant is planned to be sited, allowing access to major distribution channels via the adjacent railhead.
Additional information regarding the Bear Lodge REE Project and the Bear Lodge Property is included under the section heading “Item 2. Properties” in this Annual Report.
RECENT CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS
Following receipt of proceeds from the transaction with Synchron, in October 2017 and in October 2019 (Note 6 to the Consolidated Financial Statements), the Company pursued a work plan to (i) continue the confirmation and enhancement of its proprietary technology for rare earth processing and separation through pilot plant testing (or “piloting”), (ii) develop a work plan to progress engineering work to optimize its mine plan and corresponding processing operations, and (iii) update and supplement environmental baseline data in anticipation of the potential resumption of permitting and licensing efforts. During 2019, the Company focused on Items (i) and (iii) above by engaging UIT, an affiliate of General Atomic Technologies Corporation and Synchron, to continue technology review and advancement of our technology, and by completing updated environmental baseline studies. The Company also monitored the general U.S. political climate and actions taken by the U.S. government to secure a domestic, non-Chinese, rare earth supply chain in the future. The Company plans to continue these activities during 2020.
TRENDS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE REE MARKET
Uses for REE Products
Due to variations in physical, chemical, molecular and application characteristics, different rare earth metals possess their own market uses, drivers and challenges. REEs are used in computers, cellular telephones, television screens, wind turbines, fuel cells, automobiles, magnetic refrigeration technologies, energy-efficient lighting, petroleum-refining catalysts and numerous other modern specialty technologies including military applications. Lately the major driver for the rare earth metals market has been the increasing consumption in permanent NdFeB rare earth magnets, in which rare earth metals such as Nd, Pr, Tb, and Dy are used. Specifically, these REEs are used in hybrid-electric vehicles and all-electric vehicles as well as in wind turbines. Ce, La, and other REE are widely used in applications such as metallurgy, catalysts, glass, ceramics, optical instruments, and polishing.
Trends Affecting REE Supply, Demand and Prices
In 2019, rare earth mine production was estimated to total 182,000 tonnes REO with refined production estimated to be 173,000 tonnes REO. China dominates the global supply of rare earths at both the mined and refined stages, accounting for 63% of global mine production and 85% of refined production in 2019. Despite China’s decreased share of global mine production, China actually increased 2019 production to 115,000 tonnes from 108,000 tonnes in 2018, The increase in production was in response to rapidly growing demand for domestic magnet manufacturing. Although illegal or unauthorized Chinese REE production remained one of the main themes for China, the crackdown on uncontrolled, illegal mining has had a significant impact during the last several years. The international business intelligence firm, Argus Media Ltd., has forecast China’s unlicensed REO production will decline from 60,000 tonnes in 2017 to just 8,000 tonnes in 2021. Apparently, China has taken seriously the prospect that domestic demand may soon outgrow domestic production and, as a result, could limit exports and become an importer of some REE. This has led China to look to invest/acquire rare earth resources outside of China.
In the rest of the world, specifically in the USA and in Australia certain competitors formed the second and third largest producing companies respectively, with production of 21.1kt REO and 14.0kt REO in mineral concentrates during 2019.
The growth in demand for certain REE, including Nd and Pr used in permanent magnets, is expected to continue. Increased focus on clean energy is pushing the demand for electric vehicles, which in turn will drive the demand for rare earth magnets in electric motor and generator applications. Magnet demand now accounts for over 30% of total rare earth demand and 75-80% of REE market value.
Growing demand for renewable energy has also increased the demand for rare earth containing magnets, as they give improved performance compared with other magnets. A typical wind turbine requires approximately 200
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kilograms of rare earths for motors and generators per one megawatt of capacity. The Global Wind Energy Council forecasts installed capacity will increase at a rate of 9.3% annually to 2022.
Prices for Nd and Pr declined modestly during 2019. The research and advisory firm, Roskill Information Services Ltd., has estimated that the value of global annual rare earth oxides for use in permanent magnets reached $1.8 billion in 2019. The firm anticipates overall demand for magnet-oriented rare earth oxides to grow to 54,900 tonnes by 2024, representing a compound annual growth rate of 6.0%.
Supply and demand factors for REE products that could positively impact future REE prices include the following, among other factors:
the use of Nd, Pr, Tb and Dy in high-strength magnets that are critical to multiple defense applications, hybrid and electric vehicles and the increased construction of wind power generation facilities, particularly large off-shore installations; the use of La and Ce for NiMH batteries that are utilized in hybrid and electric vehicles;
the use of Eu, Tb, Y and Ce in the production of compact fluorescent and LED light bulbs;
the use of high-strength NdFeB magnets in the miniaturization of electronic products;
the use of La in FCCs by refineries processing lower quality crude oil that consumes greater quantities of the catalysts;
the increased use of REEs in the drive to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases, (“GHGs”) by the U.S., China and the European Union;
China consolidating its REE industry and closing small, inefficient and polluting REE producers;
the capping of production, tightening of export volumes and possible imports by China;
possible changes in trade policies, including changes in taxes or import/export duties for REE materials by the U.S. government and China;
the use of Ce in glass, ceramics, glass polishing, and advanced water filtration applications;
the continued research and commercialization of new applications for REE products; and
the rising costs in China due to stricter environmental controls and rising wages.
Supply and demand factors for REE products that could negatively impact future REE prices include the following, among other factors:
the potential for oversupply of certain REEs due to new production outside of China and/or increased exports from China;
strong demand for selected REEs like magnet materials, driving overproduction of other co-product REEs and creating oversupply conditions for the less desired REEs;
the potential substitution of other materials for higher-priced REEs;
economization by intermediate and end-users to reduce their usage of REEs in end-products;
the potential for increased recycling of higher-priced REEs;
low oil, gas and coal prices that could reduce the demand for technologies using REEs;
static or lower global economic growth, reducing overall demand growth for REEs; and
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potential by-product production of REEs that may increase supply irrespective of the economics of REE production from primary mines.
The feasibility of the Bear Lodge REE Project and our ability to raise additional funds to develop the Bear Lodge REE Project may be impacted by global supply and demand and future prices of REEs.
COMPETITION
The industry in which we operate is highly competitive. We compete with other mining and exploration companies in connection with, and the funding for, the exploration and development of mineral properties. There is competition for the limited number of opportunities, some involving companies having substantially greater financial resources, staff and facilities than we do. We also compete with other mining and exploration companies in our efforts to hire and retain experienced professionals. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting or retaining key personnel or securing outside technical resources.
In 2019, China accounted for an estimated 63% of global REE production and 68% of worldwide demand. It is likely that the Chinese will be able to dominate the market for REEs for the foreseeable future. This gives the Chinese producers a competitive advantage in controlling the supply and processing of REEs and an opportunity to reduce prices to discourage competition. Any increase in the amount of REEs exported from other nations increases supply and may result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business. As a result of these factors, the Company may not be able to compete effectively against current and future competitors. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.
PATENTS, TRADEMARKS AND LICENSES
We plan to rely on a combination of trade secret protection, nondisclosure agreements, trademarks and patents to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights. We utilize trade secret protection and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary rare earth technology.
As of December 31, 2019, we had filed six U.S. provisional patent applications relating to processing methods, including (1) selective recovery of REEs from mixed chloride leach solutions using oxalic acid, (2) thorium extraction process technology, and (3) separation of cerium and/or thorium from bulk REEs in a solvent extraction (“SX”) process. These provisional applications provided the basis for the current patent portfolio, which includes two pending U.S. patent applications, four pending foreign applications across four separate foreign jurisdictions, and three issued foreign patents across three separate foreign jurisdictions. If allowed, a U.S. patent granted from the utility patent applications would have a term of 20 years measured from the filing date of the utility patent applications. We licensed our intellectual property relating to our patents-pending and related technical information to Synchron in October 2017, which license became exclusive to Synchron and its affiliates in October 2019. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. Several of these technologies have potential value for application in other industries, and the Company is evaluating this potential.
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION
Our exploration and planned development and mining activities are subject to extensive and burdensome environmental laws and regulations under various federal, state, county and local laws relating to the protection of the environment, which generally includes air and water quality, hazardous waste management, radionuclide handling and reclamation. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in civil and/or criminal liability for non-compliance, fines and penalties, clean-up costs and other environmental damages. Also, unanticipated developments or changes in the law could require us to make environmental expenditures significantly greater than those we currently expect. Environmental laws historically have evolved in a manner that requires stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, more stringent environmental assessments of proposed projects and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors and employees. Current and future laws, regulations and permits will impose significant costs, liabilities or obligations or could limit or prevent our ability to continue operations or undertake new operations. Environmental hazards may exist on the properties in which we hold interests that are unknown to us at present and that have been caused by previous owners of the properties.
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Our Bear Lodge Property in Wyoming is subject to federal and state environmental laws, regulations, and permits. The federal agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction is the U.S. Forest Service (the “USFS”), Bearlodge Ranger District, Sundance, Wyoming. The state agency with regulatory jurisdiction is the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We operate under approvals and permits granted by these two agencies and have established a surety bond to ensure environmental reclamation of areas disturbed. As of December 31, 2019, the Company holds surety bond with the state of Wyoming of $132. Prior to operating, we will require several other permits and licenses including those issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the “NRC”), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others.
In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced that it would develop financial assurance requirements under of the U.S. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation & Liability Act of 1980 (“CERCLA”) Section 108(b) for the hard rock mining industry. On January 29, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order requiring that if the EPA intends to prepare such regulations, it must do so by December 1, 2016. The EPA issued its proposed rule on January 11, 2017. Under the proposed rule, owners and operators of facilities subject to the rule would be required to (i) notify the EPA that they are subject to the rule; (ii) calculate a level of financial responsibility for their facility using a formula provided in the rule; (iii) obtain a financial responsibility instrument, or qualify to self-insure, for the amount of financial responsibility; (iv) demonstrate that they have obtained such evidence of financial responsibility; and (v) update and maintain financial responsibility until the EPA releases the owner or operator from the CERCLA Section 108(b) regulations. On February 21, 2018, the EPA issued a “final action” in which it announced its decision to not issue final regulations because the EPA “determined that final regulations are not appropriate.” 83 Fed. Reg. 7556 (Feb. 21, 2018). In May 2018, several environmental advocacy groups challenged this action in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia. On July 19, 2019 the Court ruled in favor of the EPA, holding that the EPA’s decision to not finalize the proposed hardrock mining financial assurance rule was a reasonable interpretation of its CERCLA authority and CERCLA financial assurance provisions.
MINERALS EXPLORATION REGULATION
Mining operations and exploration and development activities are subject to various national, state, county and local laws and regulations in the U.S. that govern prospecting, exploration, development, mining, production, processing, exports, taxes, labor standards, occupational health, waste disposal, protection of the environment, mine safety, hazardous substances and other matters. The Company believes that it is in compliance in all material respects with applicable mining, health, safety and environmental statutes and the regulations. There are no current orders or notices of violations relating to the Company under applicable laws and regulations.
Compliance with these laws and regulations may impose substantial costs on the Company and could subject it to significant potential liabilities. Changes in these laws or regulations could require us to expend significant resources to comply with new laws or regulations, or changes to current requirements, and could have a material adverse effect on our business operations.
MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS
Pursuant to Section 1503(a) of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd–Frank Act”), issuers that are operators, or that have a subsidiary that is an operator, of a coal or other mine in the U.S. are required to disclose in their periodic reports filed with the SEC information regarding specified health and safety violations, orders and citations, related assessments and legal actions, and mining-related fatalities. During the year ended December 31, 2019, our Bear Lodge Property was not subject to regulation by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.
EMPLOYEES
At December 31, 2019, we had one full-time employee and no part-time employees. Our employee is not covered by any collective bargaining agreements. When required, our one employee calls on the services of third parties under consulting or service agreements.
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AVAILABLE INFORMATION
We make available, free of charge, on or through our Internet website, at www.rareelementresources.com, our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Our Internet website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be, and are not, incorporated into this Annual Report.
Our reports and other information can be inspected on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company also files reports under Canadian regulatory requirements on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”). The Company’s reports which are filed on SEDAR can be found on the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.
10ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
20The following sets forth certain risks and uncertainties that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations and the trading price of our common shares, which may decline, and investors may lose all or part of their investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. We cannot assure you that we will successfully address these risks.
We have no revenues from operations and expect to incur losses for a significant period of time. Any future revenues and profits are uncertain.
We incurred net losses of $1,433 and $1,764 during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. Our accumulated deficit at December 31, 2019 was $130,881. In addition, we have limited financial resources. As of December 31, 2019, we had cash and cash equivalents of $5,664 and working capital of $5,234.
Notwithstanding the transaction with Synchron in October 2019, we do not have sufficient funds to fully complete feasibility studies, permitting, development and construction of the Bear Lodge REE Project. Therefore, the achievement of these activities will be dependent upon future financings, off-take agreements, joint ventures, strategic transactions, or sales of various assets. There is no assurance, however, that we will be successful in completing such a financing or transaction. Ultimately, in the event that we cannot obtain additional financial resources or complete a strategic transaction, we may have to liquidate our business interests, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.
Our largest shareholder beneficially owns a significant percentage of our common shares, has significant influence on our major corporate decisions, including veto power over some matters, and could take actions that may not be viewed favorably by certain other shareholders, any of which could adversely affect the market price of our common shares.
Synchron owns approximately 49% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Additionally, Synchron has approval rights for certain corporate actions and three of seven directors to the Company’s Board.
As a result of the foregoing, Synchron has significant influence on our major corporate decisions and matters requiring shareholder approval. These rights, along with the concentration of ownership and voting power with Synchron, (i) may make it more difficult for any other holder or group of holders of our common shares to be able to significantly influence the way we are managed or the direction of our business and (ii) may make it more difficult for another company to acquire us and for shareholders to receive any related takeover premium unless Synchron approves the acquisition. The interests of Synchron with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings, and other corporate opportunities, and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. The ability of Synchron to influence certain of our major corporate decisions may affect the market price of our common shares by delaying, deferring, or preventing transactions that are or are perceived to be in the best interest of other shareholders or by discouraging third-party investors.
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By granting a license in our intellectual property rights, we may be limited in our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, which could adversely impact our competitive position or results of operations.
On October 2, 2017, we entered into an Intellectual Property Rights Agreement with Synchron pursuant to which Synchron and its affiliates were granted certain perpetual rights to the intellectual property of the Company relating to its rare earths patents-pending and related technical information. Upon the exercise of its Option on October 16, 2019, Synchron and its affiliates’ intellectual property rights became exclusive, subject to the Company’s retaining use of the intellectual property and any improvements made thereon. As a result of the transactions contemplated by the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, we may be forced to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights against infringement and unauthorized use, and to protect our trade secrets. Further, by granting a license to use our intellectual property, we may be limited in our ability to protect our intellectual property rights by legal recourse or otherwise. In defending our intellectual property rights, we may place our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable, narrowed in scope or otherwise limited, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our inability to preserve or maintain an interest in certain intellectual property rights could adversely impact our competitive position or results of operations.
We have suspended our federal and state permitting progression, and there is a risk to the resumption of those efforts in a timely and cost-effective manner.
During the first quarter of 2016, we placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all permitting activities were suspended, including the environmental impact statement (“EIS”) process, state permitting, and the NRC licensing process. The Company continued the 2016 implemented cost-conservation measures through 2019. Given the completion of the transactions with Synchron on October 2, 2017 and October 16, 2019 (as discussed in Item 7: Management Discussion and Analysis, Financial Liquidity and Capital Resources), the Company is focused on continuing the confirmation and enhancement of our proprietary technology for rare earth processing and separation through pilot plant testing. The Company will also continue with certain limited exploration-related reclamation activities in 2020 as required and appropriate. However, our ability to obtain further financing or attract a strategic partner to fund the completion of the permitting once resumed is uncertain. If we are unable to timely progress our permitting while the information is still deemed adequate by the applicable regulatory agencies, we may have to restart the permitting process, or take extra steps to reinitiate the process, which would impact the cost and timing of permitting.
Our ability and timing to exercise our right to purchase certain non-mineral lands for stockpile storage and processing operations is uncertain.
Our current plan of operations for the Bear Lodge REE Project includes a waste rock storage site located on private property adjacent to the planned mine. This private property consists of 640 acres and was sold to a third party on October 26, 2016. Although we hold a repurchase option on the property until the fifth anniversary of the land sale, our ability and the timing of our exercise of the repurchase option is uncertain. If we were unable to repurchase the property, we would have to update our planned operations to identify an alternative stockpile storage area. Additionally, we hold a land purchase option on private property located in Upton, Wyoming, which is the location for our planned processing operations. If we are unable to maintain the purchase option, we would have to locate and secure another site as a suitable rare earth processing location.
We may elect to deregister our common shares under the Exchange Act. Deregistration will result in less disclosure about us and may negatively affect the liquidity and trading prices of our common shares.
Due to the relatively high cost of being a public company in the U.S., our Board of Directors may elect to voluntarily deregister our common shares under the Exchange Act and suspend our reporting obligations in the U.S., possibly in combination with an effort to list our common shares on another securities exchange. No Board approval of deregistration has taken place, but in the future, the Board may authorize the Company to file with the SEC a Form 15 to voluntarily deregister our common shares under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and suspend our reporting obligations under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. If the Board approves such deregistration, we would file a Form 15 and our obligations to file periodic reports, such as annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, would be suspended immediately upon the filing of the Form 15 with the SEC, and our proxy statement, Section 16 and other Section 12(g) reporting responsibilities would terminate effective 90 days after the filing of the Form 15. We believe that we are eligible to deregister under the Exchange Act. If we were to file a Form 15, we expect that our common shares, which currently trade on the OTCQB Venture
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Marketplace, would not continue to be quoted on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace. Following any deregistration, we would not expect to publish periodic financial information or furnish such information to our shareholders except as may be required by applicable laws or stock exchange rules. As a result of the foregoing factors, deregistration may result in less disclosure about us and may negatively affect the liquidity and trading prices of our common shares.
We have no history of producing mineral products from our properties.
We have no history of mining, recovering or refining any mineral products, and our Bear Lodge REE Project is not in development or producing. There can be no assurance that the Bear Lodge REE Project will be successfully developed and placed into production, produce minerals in commercial quantities or otherwise generate operating earnings. Advancing properties from the exploration stage into development and commercial production requires significant capital and time and will be subject to further feasibility studies, permitting requirements and construction of the mine, processing plants, roads and related works and infrastructure. We will continue to incur losses until such time, if ever, when our mining activities successfully reach commercial production levels and generate sufficient revenue to fund continuing operations. There is no certainty that we will produce revenue from any source, operate profitably, or provide a return on investment in the future. If we are unable to generate revenues or profits, our shareholders might not be able to realize returns on their investment in our common shares.
The planned development of our Bear Lodge REE Project involves numerous uncertainties that could affect the feasibility or profitability of such project.
Mine development projects typically require a number of years and significant expenditures during the exploration and development phases before production is possible. The economic feasibility of exploration and development projects is based on many factors, such as the following:
completion of feasibility studies to evaluate mineral resources and mineral reserves and commercial viability;
the timing and cost, which can be considerable, of further exploration, permitting and construction of infrastructure, mining, beneficiation and processing facilities;
our ability to utilize our proprietary process technologies, which could encounter problems or unexpected costs in scale-up;
securing commercially viable sales outlet for our REE products;
the potential need to enter into joint venture or other partnership arrangements to develop the Projects;
the availability and costs of equipment and skilled labor, as required;
the availability and cost of appropriate processing and/or refining arrangements, if required;
compliance with environmental and other governmental approval and permit requirements;
the availability of funds to finance exploration, development and construction activities, as warranted;
future prices for rare earth minerals;
potential opposition from non-governmental organizations, environmental, indigenous or local groups or inhabitants that may delay or prevent development activities;
potential increases in exploration, construction and operating costs due to changes in the cost of fuel, power, materials or supplies;
potential shortages of mineral beneficiation, processing, construction or other facilities-related equipment or supplies; and
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the ability to attract and retain talent for development and operation of the Projects.
It is common in exploration programs and in development, construction and mine start-ups to experience unexpected problems and delays. Accordingly, our activities may not result in profitable mining operations, and we may not succeed in establishing mining operations or profitably producing minerals from our Projects at all or in a reasonable timeframe.
Joint ventures and other partnerships may expose us to risks.
We will require additional capital through investment, joint ventures and/or other partnership arrangements with current investors or other parties for the development of our Projects. Although such arrangements may lessen our financial burden in exploring and developing the Projects, they will likely also dilute our interest therein or affect our ability to control development of either of the Projects. Our ability to attract additional capital may be impeded by our significant shareholder Synchron, as it holds certain minority voting rights and its approval may be required. Further, any failure of a joint venture partner or other partner to meet its obligations to us or to third parties, or any disputes with respect to the parties’ respective rights and obligations, could have a material adverse effect on the joint venture or other partnership arrangement and, in turn, on our business performance and on our ability to develop the Projects.
Subject to further financing, we may commence a FS on our Bear Lodge REE Project, and the results of this FS are uncertain.
In October 2014, we completed a PFS for our Bear Lodge REE Project that updated our Mineral Resource estimate and refined plans for our process technology. Subject to further financing and the results of the UIT pilot plant test work, we may resume work on a FS. The results of this study are uncertain and may indicate project economics that are more or less favorable than those previously reported. As our project optimization efforts continue, we cannot ensure that the FS will be based upon all of the same inputs used in the PFS. As a result, we may need to update our beneficiation technology, processing technology and/or project development plans to enhance economics or further study aspects of the Bear Lodge REE Project. This could result in significant additional delays and expenses or could make financing efforts with respect to such efforts more difficult or not possible.
Our viability as a rare earth company depends on the financing, permitting, development and operation of our Bear Lodge REE Project, which is our only rare earth project.
Our only rare earth exploration project at this time is our Bear Lodge REE Project. Our continued viability is based on successfully implementing our strategy, including completion of a FS, permitting and construction of a mine and beneficiation and processing facilities in a reasonable timeframe. If we are unable to secure additional capital or enter into a strategic transaction and implement our strategy, or in the event of the imposition of significant additional regulatory burdens or delays or a significant deterioration of the market for rare earth products, our ability to develop a sustainable or profitable business would be materially adversely affected.
Increased costs could affect our ability to bring the Bear Lodge REE Project into production and, once in production, to be profitable.
We estimated the initial capital costs required to bring the Bear Lodge REE Project into commercial production in our PFS, dated October 9, 2014, at approximately $290,000. Our FS, once completed, may suggest that our actual costs may be higher than those that we presently anticipate, which could make it more difficult to finance the Bear Lodge REE Project or to successfully establish mining operations.
We anticipate that our future operating costs at the Bear Lodge REE Project will vary from year to year due to a number of factors, such as changing ore grade, metallurgy and revisions to mine plans in response to the physical shape and location of the ore body. In addition, costs are affected by the price of commodities such as oil, gas, reagents/chemicals, steel, rubber and electricity. Such commodities are at times subject to volatile price movements, including increases that could make production less profitable or not profitable at all. A material increase in costs could also impact our ability to commence or maintain future development or mining operations.
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Market factors outside of our control could have significant adverse impacts on our business, operations and/or prospects.
Operating in the volatile and cyclical natural resource industry subjects us to numerous market factors outside of our control that could have significant and sometimes adverse impacts on our business. Such factors could include significant price declines for key rare earth materials, inflationary impacts on capital and operating costs, public opposition, poor financial and operating performance of other companies in the same industry sector, environmental incidents from resource projects, major technological advances that reduce demand for key rare earth products, and unforeseen regulation or geopolitical factors that broadly impact the industry. To the extent that such factors affect attitudes toward investments in the natural resource sector generally or the rare earths industry specifically, they could affect our ability to raise the additional capital needed to continue to advance our Projects and business plan.
Possible adverse effects of the coronavirus outbreak on our business.
During January 2020, it was reported that there had been an outbreak of a new coronavirus in China. In an effort to halt the outbreak, the Chinese government has, among other things, closed businesses for several weeks. These disruptions could impact the rare earth market, particularly China’s supply chain, which in turn could impact our business or business prospects. In addition, any further spread or escalation of the outbreak outside of China could also have an increased impact on markets in other parts of the world, and could generally result in a global economic slowdown, which in turn could adversely impact our ability to raise capital, construct or operate a mine or production facility.
We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth products.
Because our primary focus currently is the advancement and development of the Bear Lodge REE Project, changes in demand for, and the market price of, REE products could significantly affect our ability to develop or finance the Bear Lodge REE Project and eventually attain commercial production or profitability. REE product prices may fluctuate and are affected by numerous factors beyond our control such as interest rates, exchange rates, inflation or deflation, fluctuation in the relative value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies on the world market, global and regional supply and demand for REE products, and the political and economic conditions of countries that produce and use REEs.
As a result of the global economic crisis, REE prices declined by approximately 50% between 2008 and the end of the third quarter of 2009. REE prices then increased significantly during 2010 and most of 2011 only to again decline from 2012 through 2016. During the first three quarter of 2017 REE prices increased significantly from the 2016 lows. This was led by a doubling of Nd and Pr prices. During the fourth quarter of 2017 prices retreated but remained well above 2016 prices. During 2018 and 2019 rare earth prices declined modestly. Protracted periods of low prices for REE products could significantly reduce our ability to develop the Bear Lodge REE Project and, if we attain commercial production, to maintain profitable operations.
Demand for REE products is impacted by demand for downstream products incorporating rare earths, including hybrid and electric vehicles, wind power equipment and other clean technology products, as well as demand in the general automotive and electronics industries. Lack of growth in these markets could adversely affect the demand for REE products, which would have a material adverse effect on our Bear Lodge REE Project and our business. In contrast, periods of high REE prices are generally beneficial to us; however, strong REE prices, as well as real or perceived disruptions in the supply of REE, also create economic pressure to identify or create non-REE alternate technologies that ultimately could reduce future long-term demand for REE products, and at the same time may incentivize development of otherwise marginal mining properties. For example, automobile manufacturers have previously announced plans to develop motors for electric and hybrid cars that do not require REE products due to concerns about the available supply of REEs. If the automobile industry or other industries reduce their reliance on rare earth products, the resulting change in demand could have a material adverse effect on our business. In particular, if prices or demand for REEs were to decline, our share price would likely decline, and this could also impair our ability to obtain capital needed for our Bear Lodge REE Project and our ability to find purchasers for our products at prices acceptable to us or at all.
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An increase in the global supply of rare earth products, dumping and/or predatory pricing by our competitors may materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital, develop our Bear Lodge REE Project or operate profitably.
The pricing and demand for REE products is affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including growth of economic development and the global supply and demand for REE products. REE supply markets continue to be dominated by production from China, which produced an estimated 85% of the global REE production in 2017 and 80% in 2018. China also dominates the manufacture of metals, NdFeB magnets and other products from REE. The threat of increased competition may lead our competitors to engage in predatory pricing behavior or manipulation of the available supply of REEs. Advanced technology in recycling REEs may also impact supply and prices. Any increase in the amount of REE products exported from other nations and increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to compete effectively against our future competitors.
The success of our business may depend, in part, on the establishment of new uses and markets for rare earth products.
The success of our business may depend, in part, on the establishment of new markets by us or third parties for certain rare earth products. Although we plan to produce rare earth products for use in end-products such as NdFeB magnets, which are used in critical existing and emerging technologies (hybrid and electric vehicles, wind power turbines, oil refining catalysts and compact fluorescent lighting), the success of our business may depend on the creation of new markets in addition to the successful commercialization of REE products in existing and emerging markets. Any unexpected costs or delays in the commercialization of any of the foregoing products or applications could have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our Bear Lodge REE Project or operate our business profitably.
We expect to rely on our proprietary technology and processes to further our Bear Lodge REE Project.
We utilize trade secret protection and nondisclosure agreements to protect our proprietary rare earth technology. As of December 31, 2019, we had filed six U.S. provisional patent applications relating to processing methods, including (1) selective recovery of REEs from mixed chloride leach solutions using oxalic acid, (2) thorium extraction process technology, and (3) separation of cerium and/or thorium from bulk REEs in an SX process. These provisional applications provided the basis for the current patent portfolio, which includes two pending U.S. patent applications, four pending foreign applications across four separate foreign jurisdictions, and three issued foreign patents across three separate foreign jurisdictions. If allowed, a U.S. patent granted from the utility patent applications would have a term of 20 years measured from the filing date of the utility patent applications. We licensed our intellectual property relating to our patents-pending and related technical information to Synchron in October 2017, which license became exclusive to Synchron and its affiliates in October 2019. See Item 7. Management Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Financial Position, Liquidity and Capital Resources- Transaction with Synchron.
The success of our business depends, in part, on our ability to utilize our proprietary process technologies, and we could encounter unforeseen problems or costs, or both, in scaling up our technologies to commercial applications.
Our mineral resource estimates for our Bear Lodge REE Project may need to be updated.
Our mineral resources have not been updated and as such should not be relied upon as they may be updated prior to further feasibility work. Accordingly, previous mineralization estimates for the Bear Lodge REE Project will require confirmation or adjustments. The Sundance Gold Project is in the exploration stage and it is too early to estimate resources or the gold production potential of the property.
We are subject to significant governmental regulations, including permitting, licensing and approval processes that affect our operations and could impact the cost and timing of conducting our business.
Our current and future activities will be governed by laws and regulations, including the following, among others:
laws and regulations governing mineral concession acquisition, prospecting, development, mining, processing, and production;
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laws and regulations related to exports, taxes and fees;
labor standards and regulations related to occupational health and mine safety;
laws and regulations relating to environmental protection concerning waste management, transportation, and disposal of toxic and radioactive substances, land use, and the protection of threatened and endangered species; and
other matters.
We believe that we hold, or are in the process of obtaining, all licenses and permits necessary to carry on the activities that we currently are conducting or propose to conduct in the near term under applicable laws and regulations. Such licenses and permits are subject to changes in regulations and changes in various operating circumstances. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to obtain all necessary licenses and permits that may be required to maintain the current or planned exploration, development and mining activities, including constructing mines and/or beneficiation and processing facilities, and commencing operations at the Bear Lodge REE Project. In addition, if we proceed to production on the Bear Lodge REE Project, we must obtain and comply with permits and licenses that may contain specific operating or other conditions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such permits and licenses or that we will be able to comply with any such conditions. Our Sundance Gold Project, previously in the active Exploration Stage, but on hold since 2014, does not currently have any of the permits or licenses that would be necessary to carry on further activities on the project. Costs related to applying for and obtaining permits and licenses may be prohibitive and could delay planned exploration and development activities. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and permitting requirements may result in enforcement actions, including orders issued by regulatory or judicial authorities causing operations to cease or be curtailed, and may include corrective measures requiring capital expenditures, installation of additional equipment or remedial actions.
Parties engaged in mining operations may be required to compensate those suffering loss or damage relating to mining activities and may be subject to civil or criminal liability, fines or penalties imposed for violations of applicable laws or regulations. Amendments to current laws, regulations and permits governing operations and activities of mining companies, or more stringent implementation thereof, could have a material adverse impact on our operations, cause increases in capital expenditures or production costs, or require abandonment or delays in the exploration or the development of either of the Projects.
Our activities are subject to environmental risks and compliance with environmental regulations that are increasing and costly.
Our business is subject to environmental regulation in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Environmental legislation at the local, state and federal level could evolve in a manner that may impose stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, more stringent environmental assessments of proposed projects, and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors and employees. These laws address emissions into the air, discharges into water, management of waste and hazardous substances, protection of natural resources, antiquities, and endangered species and reclamation of lands disturbed by mining operations. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations at the local, state and federal level and future changes in these laws and regulations may require significant capital outlays and may cause material changes or delays in our current and planned operations and future activities. It is possible that future changes in these laws or regulations could have a significant adverse impact on our Projects or some portion of our business, causing us to reevaluate those activities at that time.
Examples of some of the current U.S. federal laws that may affect our business and planned operations include, but are not limited to, the following:
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”) requires federal agencies to integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making processes by evaluating the environmental impacts of proposed actions, including issuance of permits to mining facilities, and assessing alternatives to those actions. Under NEPA, a federal agency must prepare an EIS detailing the environmental impacts of “major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” The EPA will, and other federal agencies and any interested third parties can, review and comment on the scope of the EIS and the adequacy of and findings set forth in the draft and final EIS. As required, we began in 2012 to undertake the NEPA process for the Bear Lodge REE Project.
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However, we have since placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all permitting activities have been suspended, including the EIS process. The NEPA process can cause delays in issuance of required permits or result in changes to a project to mitigate potential environmental impacts, which in turn can impact the economic feasibility of a proposed project, including the ability to construct or operate the Bear Lodge REE Project or other projects entirely.
The NRC, pursuant to its authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the “Atomic Energy Act”), oversees the regulatory framework governing the control of radioactive materials, including beneficiation and processing of REE that contain radioactive source materials such as uranium and thorium. The NRC is responsible for issuing licenses for source material involving concentrations of uranium or thorium that exceed 0.05% by weight. If a proposed action, including waste generation, results in materials with concentrations of uranium and thorium that equal or exceed 0.05% by weight, a license to receive title to, possess, use, transfer, or deliver source and byproduct materials may be required. We are required to follow the regulations pertaining to a license application for the Bear Lodge REE Project. The licensing process, including NEPA review relating to the NRC licensing, may cause delays or result in changes to the Project design to mitigate impacts as required under the license.
Under CERCLA and similar state laws, responsibility for the entire cost of cleanup of a contaminated site, as well as natural resource damages, can be imposed upon current or former site owners or operators, or upon any party who released one or more designated “hazardous substances” at the site, regardless of the lawfulness of the original activities that led to the contamination. CERCLA also authorizes the EPA and, in some cases, third parties to take actions in response to threats to public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the potentially responsible parties the costs of such actions. We may also be an owner or operator of facilities at which hazardous substances have been released by previous owners or operators. We may be responsible under CERCLA for all or part of the costs of cleaning up facilities at which such substances have been released and for natural resource damages. We have not, to our knowledge, been identified as a potentially responsible party under CERCLA, nor are we aware of any prior owners or operators of our properties that have been so identified with respect to their ownership or operation of those properties.
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), and comparable state statutes, govern the disposal of “solid” and “hazardous” waste and authorize the imposition of substantial fines and penalties for noncompliance, as well as requirements for corrective actions. Although certain mining, beneficiation, and mineral processing wastes currently are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, the EPA has limited the disposal options for certain wastes designated as hazardous wastes under RCRA. It is possible that certain wastes generated by our potential future operations that currently are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes may in the future be designated as hazardous wastes and may therefore become subject to more rigorous and costly management, disposal and clean-up requirements.
The Clean Air Act, as amended (“CAA”), and comparable state statutes, restricts the emission of air pollutants from many stationary and mobile sources, including mining, beneficiation, and processing activities. Our planned mining operations may produce air emissions, including fugitive dust and other air pollutants, from stationary equipment, storage facilities, and the use of mobile sources such as trucks and heavy construction equipment that are subject to review, monitoring, control requirements and emission limits under the CAA and state air quality laws. New facilities may be required to obtain permits before work can begin, and existing facilities may be required to incur capital costs to remain in compliance. In addition, permitting rules and issued permits may impose limitations on production levels or result in additional capital expenditures to comply with such rules or permits. In certain circumstances, private citizens may also sue sources of pollutants for alleged violations of the CAA.
The Clean Water Act (“CWA”) and comparable state statutes impose restrictions and controls on the discharge of pollutants into waters of the U.S. These controls generally have become more stringent over time, and it is possible that additional restrictions will be imposed in the future. Violation of the CWA and similar state regulatory programs can result in civil, criminal and administrative penalties for unauthorized discharges of hazardous substances and other pollutants. They also can impose substantial liability for the costs of removal or remediation associated with such discharges. The CWA also requires a discharge permit for certain activities, and requires the implementation of a Pollution Prevention Plan establishing best management practices, training, periodic monitoring of covered activities, and monitoring and sampling of stormwater run-off. The CWA and regulations
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implemented thereunder also prohibit discharges of dredged and fill material in wetlands and other waters of the U.S. unless authorized by a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”) and the Underground Injection Control (“UIC”) program promulgated thereunder regulate the drilling and operation of subsurface injection wells. The EPA directly administers the UIC program in some states, and in others the responsibility for the program has been delegated to the state. Violation of these regulations and/or contamination of groundwater by mining related activities may result in fines, penalties, and/or remediation costs, among other sanctions and liabilities under the SDWA and state laws.
The Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) regulates activities that could have an adverse effect on threatened and endangered species, including the habitat and ecosystems upon which they depend. The ESA protects threatened and endangered species primarily by prohibiting the unauthorized “taking” of listed species. The ESA also requires consultation with other agencies in certain circumstances. Compliance with ESA requirements can significantly delay, limit, or even prevent the development of projects, including the development of mining claims, and can also result in increased development costs. In addition, the ESA authorized both civil and criminal penalties for ESA violations and authorizes citizen suits against any person alleged to be in violation of the ESA.
Regulations and pending legislation governing issues involving climate change could result in increased operating costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.
A number of governments or governmental bodies have adopted or are contemplating regulatory changes in response to the potential impact of climate change. For example, the EPA has issued a notice of finding and determination that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other GHGs present an endangerment to human health and the environment, which has allowed the EPA to begin regulating emissions of GHGs under existing provisions of the CAA. Legislation and increased regulation regarding climate change could impose significant costs on us and/or our suppliers, including costs related to increased energy requirements, capital equipment, environmental monitoring and reporting and/or other costs to comply with such regulations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such regulations. Alternatively, climate change legislation potentially could benefit our business by driving demand for products utilizing rare earth containing products. We cannot predict how legislation and regulation will affect our financial condition, operating performance or ability to compete.
Even without such regulation, increased awareness or any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about the rare earth industry’s potential impacts on climate change could harm our reputation.
The potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we operate. These may include changes in precipitation, storm patterns and intensities, water shortages and changing temperatures. These factors may have an adverse impact on the cost, production or financial performance of our operations.
We depend on key personnel, and the absence of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business.
Our success is currently largely dependent on the performance, retention and abilities of our directors, President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and certain consultants. The loss of the services of these persons could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects. There is no assurance that we can maintain the services of our directors, CEO, or other qualified personnel and consultants required to operate our business. Failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on us and our prospects. We do not maintain life insurance policies on our employee, directors or consultants.
A shortage of equipment and supplies could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.
We depend on various supplies and equipment to carry out our exploration and, if warranted, future development and mining operations. A shortage of such supplies, equipment or parts could have a material adverse effect on our ability to carry out our planned activities or increase our operating costs and expenses.
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Mineral exploration and development and mining are potentially hazardous and subject to conditions or events beyond our control, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or plans.
Mineral exploration, development and mining involve various types of risks and hazards, including, but not limited to the following:
environmental hazards;
power outages;
metallurgical and other processing problems;
unusual or unexpected geological formations or conditions;
personal injury, flooding, fire, explosions, cave-ins, earthquakes, landslides and rock-bursts;
mineral exploration, transportation or mining accidents;
concentrate losses;
fluctuations in exploration, development and production costs;
labor disputes;
supply interruptions;
unanticipated variations in grade;
mechanical equipment failure;
periodic interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions; and
regulatory delays, curtailments or shutdowns.
These risks could result in damage to, or destruction of, mineral properties, production equipment, facilities or other properties, personal injury, environmental damage, delays in mining, increased production costs, monetary losses or possible legal liability. We may not be able to obtain insurance to cover these risks at economically feasible premiums or at all. Insurance against certain environmental risks, including potential liability for pollution or other hazards resulting from the disposal of waste products from production, may be prohibitively expensive or not available. Any losses we incur related to any significant events that are not covered by insurance policies may have a material adverse effect on our business.
Mineral exploration and development is highly speculative, and certain inherent risks could have a negative effect on our business.
Our long-term success depends on our ability to develop mineral deposits on existing properties that can be developed into commercially viable mining operations. Resource exploration is a highly speculative business, characterized by a number of significant risks, including, among other things, unprofitable efforts resulting not only from the failure to discover mineral deposits but from finding mineral deposits which, though present, are insufficient in quantity and quality to return a profit from production. Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable mineral reserves through drilling and analysis, to develop metallurgical processes to extract metal, and to develop the mining, beneficiation and processing facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. The marketability of minerals discovered by us may be affected by numerous factors that are beyond our control and cannot be accurately predicted, such as market pricing fluctuations, the proximity and capacity of milling facilities, mineral markets demand, available supply and processing equipment, and other factors such as government regulations, including regulations relating to royalties, allowable production, importing and exporting of minerals, and environmental protection. Any one or a combination of these factors may result in a failure to receive an adequate return on our investment capital. The decision to abandon a project may have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common shares or our ability to complete future financings.
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Title to our Bear Lodge Property may be subject to other claims, or we may lose our interest in our claims, which could affect our property rights and claims.
There are risks that title to our Bear Lodge Property may be challenged or impugned. Our Bear Lodge Property is located in the state of Wyoming and may be subject to prior unrecorded agreements, transfers or native land claims, and title may be affected by undetected defects. There may be valid challenges to the title of our Bear Lodge Property which, if successful, could impair or result in the cessation of development and/or operations.
The vast majority of the mineral rights to our Bear Lodge Property consist of “unpatented” mining claims created and maintained in accordance with the U.S. General Mining Act of 1872 (“U.S. General Mining Law”). Unpatented mining claims are unique property interests and are generally considered to be subject to greater title risk than are other real property interests because the validity of unpatented mining claims can be uncertain. This uncertainty arises, in part, out of the complex federal and state laws and regulations an owner of an unpatented mining claim must comply with to locate and maintain a valid claim. Also, unpatented mining claims are always subject to possible challenges by third parties or validity contests by the federal government. The validity of an unpatented mining claim, in terms of both its location and its maintenance, is dependent on strict compliance with not only a complex body of U.S. federal and state statutory law, but also administrative and judicial decisions interpreting those statutes and case law. In addition, there may be limitations as to the completeness of public records that determine prior claimants that could impact the validity or ownership of unpatented mining claims. The Company’s right to continue activities on the Bear Lodge Property is dependent upon our ability to pay annual claim maintenance fees.
Our operations are subject to significant uninsured risks that could negatively impact future profitability as we maintain limited insurance against our operations.
The exploration of our Bear Lodge Property entails certain risks including unexpected or unusual operating conditions, such as rock slides, cave-ins, flooding, fire and earthquakes. It is not always possible to insure against these risks. Should events such as these arise, they could reduce or eliminate our assets and shareholder equity as well as result in increased costs and/or a decline in the value of our assets or common shares. We expect to maintain general liability, director and officer insurance, and some insurance against our assets but not with the expectation of full replacement value. We may decide to update or amend our insurance portfolio in the future if coverage is available at economically viable rates.
Increased competition could adversely affect our ability to attract necessary capital funding.
The mining industry is intensely competitive and we must compete with other individuals and companies, many of which have greater financial resources, operational experience and technical capabilities than we have. This competition from other mining companies could adversely impact our efforts to hire experienced mining professionals. Competition for resources at all levels can be very intense, particularly affecting the availability of manpower, drill rigs, mining equipment and production equipment. Increased competition could adversely affect our ability to attract necessary capital funding or attract or retain key personnel or outside technical resources.
Land reclamation requirements for our properties may be burdensome or too expensive.
Although land reclamation requirements vary depending on the location and governing authority, such requirements generally are imposed on mineral exploration companies as well as companies with mining operations to minimize long-term effects of land disturbance.
Reclamation requirements may include the following, among other things:
control dispersion of potentially deleterious effluents;
reduce open pit mine slope angles;
treat ground and surface water to drinking water standards; and
reasonably re-establish pre-disturbance vegetation and land forms.
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To carry out reclamation obligations imposed on us in connection with the potential future development activities at the Bear Lodge Property, we must allocate financial resources that might otherwise be spent on further exploration and future development programs. We have set up a provision for reclamation obligations as currently anticipated for exploration completed on the Bear Lodge Property, as appropriate, but this provision may not be adequate. If we are required to carry out unanticipated reclamation work, our financial position could be adversely affected.
Legislation and regulations have been proposed that would significantly affect the mining industry and our business.
The U.S. Congress from time to time has considered proposed revisions to the U.S. General Mining Law. If these proposed revisions are enacted, such legislation could change the cost of holding unpatented mining claims or significantly impact our ability to develop mineralized resource on unpatented mining claims. Such bills have proposed, among other things, to (i) impose a federal royalty on production from unpatented mining claims, (ii) impose a fee on the amount of material displaced at a mine, (iii) impose time limits on the effectiveness of plans of operation that may not coincide with mine life, (iv) impose more stringent environmental compliance and reclamation requirements on activities on unpatented mining claims, (v) establish a mechanism that would allow states, localities and Native American tribes to petition for the withdrawal of identified tracts of federal land from the operation of the U.S. General Mining Law, (vi) replace the location of mining claims with federal leases for locatable minerals, and (vii) allow for administrative determinations that mining would not be allowed in situations where undue degradation of the federal lands in question could not be prevented. Although we cannot predict what legislated royalties might be, the enactment of a federal royalty or other provisions contained in these proposed bills could adversely affect the potential for development of our unpatented mining claims, and our ability to operate or our financial performance. The effect of any proposed revision of the U.S. General Mining Law on operations cannot be determined until enactment. However, it is possible that revisions would materially increase the carrying and operating costs of mineral properties located on federal unpatented mining claims.
In 2009, the EPA announced that it would develop financial assurance requirements under CERCLA Section 108(b) for the hard rock mining industry. On January 29, 2016, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an order requiring that if the EPA intends to prepare such regulations, it must do so by December 1, 2016. The EPA issued its proposed rule on January 11, 2017. Under the proposed rule, owners and operators of facilities subject to the rule would be required to (i) notify the EPA that they are subject to the rule; (ii) calculate a level of financial responsibility for their facility using a formula provided in the rule; (iii) obtain a financial responsibility instrument, or qualify to self-assure, for the amount of financial responsibility; (iv) demonstrate that they have obtained such evidence of financial responsibility; and (v) update and maintain financial responsibility until the EPA releases them from the CERCLA Section 108(b) regulations. On February 21, 2018, the EPA issued a “final action” in which it announced its decision to not to issue final regulations because the EPA “determined that final regulations are not appropriate.” 83 Fed. Reg. 7556 (Feb. 21, 2018). In May 2018, several environmental advocacy groups challenged this action in the U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Columbia. On July 19, 2019 the Court ruled in favor of the EPA, holding that the EPA’s decision to not finalize the proposed hardrock mining financial assurance rule was a reasonable interpretation of its CERCLA authority and CERCLA financial assurance provisions.
In 2015, U.S. President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum to the Secretary of Interior and other federal agencies (the “Obama Presidential Memorandum”) requiring them to undertake rulemaking regarding avoidance, minimization, and compensation for impacts to natural resources, among other public lands impact items. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the “FWS”) and the Bureau of Land Management (the “BLM”) released their final policies regarding mitigation of impacts to public lands and resources in December 2016. The BLM’s regional mitigation strategy was designed to guide agency officials in avoiding and minimizing impacts of development on federal lands. The strategy required BLM officials to mitigate impacts “through a landscape-scale approach, utilize best management practices, maintain durability for mitigation measures, monitor mitigation measures for compliance and effectiveness, and adaptively manage mitigation measures...” The FWS’s policy provided guidance to offset development impacts to at-risk species and their habitats. The policy called for mitigation measures, such as permittee-responsible mitigation, conservation banking, in-lieu fee programs, and habitat credit exchanges. In December 2017, the Department of the Interior issued Order No. 3360, which revoked the BLM policy. In July 2018, the FWS withdrew its compensatory mitigation policy. (83. Fed. Reg. 36472 (Jul. 30, 2018) and its Endangered Species Act compensatory mitigation policy (83 Fed. Reg. 36469 (Jul. 30, 2018) There have been no challenges to this withdrawal.
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Our directors, officers and consultants may be engaged in other businesses. Potential conflicts of interest or other obligations of directors, officers and consultants could interfere with corporate operations.
Some of our directors, officers and consultants may be engaged in additional businesses, or situations may arise where our directors, officers and consultants could be in direct competition with us. Conflicts, if any, will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant provisions of applicable policies, regulations and legislation. Some of our directors and officers are or may become directors or officers of other entities engaged in other business ventures. As a result of their other business endeavors, our directors, officers and consultants may not be able to devote sufficient time to our business affairs, which may negatively affect our ability to conduct ongoing operations or to generate revenues.
We are subject to the risk of litigation, the causes and costs of which are not always known.
We are subject to litigation arising in the normal course of business and may be involved in disputes that may result in litigation. Although we are not aware of any material pending or threatened litigation or of any legal proceedings known to be contemplated which are, or would be, likely to have a material adverse effect upon us or our operations, taken as a whole, the causes of potential future litigation cannot be known and may arise from, among other things, business activities, environmental and health and safety concerns, share price volatility or failure to comply with disclosure obligations. The results of litigation cannot be predicted with certainty but could include costly damage awards or settlements, fines, and the loss of licenses, concessions or rights, among other things. If we are unable to resolve a dispute favorably, either by judicial determination or settlement, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.
We depend upon information technology systems, which are subject to disruption, damage, or failure and have risks associated with implementation and integration.
We depend upon information technology systems in the conduct of our operations. Our information technology systems are subject to disruption, damage or failure from a variety of sources, including, without limitation, computer viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks, natural disasters and defects in design. Cybersecurity incidents, in particular, are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information or the corruption of data. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to information technology systems and network disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, we could potentially be subject to downtimes, operational delays, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations.
U.S. investors may not be able to enforce their civil liabilities against us or our directors, controlling persons and officers.
It may be difficult to bring and enforce suits against us. We are incorporated in the province of British Columbia, Canada under the BCBCA. Some of our directors may be residents of Canada, and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside of the U.S. As a result, it may be difficult for U.S. holders of our common shares to effect service of process on these persons within the U.S. or to recover in the U.S. on judgments rendered against them. In addition, a shareholder should not assume that the courts of Canada (i) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the U.S., or (ii) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such persons predicated upon the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the U.S..
We do not currently intend to pay cash dividends.
We have not declared any dividends since our incorporation and do not anticipate that we will do so in the foreseeable future. Our present policy is to retain all available funds for use in our business development and operations. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business
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prospects and other factors that the Board of Directors considers relevant. In the absence of dividends, investors will only see a return on their investment if the value of our common shares appreciates.
Dilution through outstanding common share options could adversely affect the trading price of our common shares.
Because our success is highly dependent upon our employee, consultants and directors, we have granted to some or all of our key employee, directors and consultants’ options to purchase common shares as non-cash incentives. To the extent that significant numbers of such options may be granted and exercised, the interests of the other shareholders may be diluted. As of December 31, 2019, there were 3,450,000 stock options outstanding to employees, former employees, consultants and directors, which, if exercised, would result in an additional 3,450,000 common shares being issued and outstanding, which equals approximately 3.3% of our common shares outstanding as of December 31, 2019.
Future sales of our securities in the public or private markets could adversely affect the trading price of our common shares or our ability to continue to raise funds in new equity offerings.
It is possible that we will sell common shares, or securities exercisable or convertible into common shares, in order to finance our planned development activities. Future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public or private markets would dilute our existing shareholders and potentially adversely affect the trading prices of our common shares or could impair our ability to raise capital through future offerings of securities. Alternatively, we may rely on debt financing and assume debt obligations that require us to make substantial interest and principal payments that could adversely affect our business or future growth potential.
Price volatility of our publicly traded securities could adversely affect investors’ portfolios.
In recent years and months, the securities markets in the U.S. and Canada have experienced high levels of price and volume volatility, and the market prices of securities of many companies have experienced wide fluctuations that have not necessarily been related to the operating performance, underlying asset values or prospects of such companies. There can be no assurance that continual fluctuations in the market price of our common shares will not occur. It may be anticipated that any quoted market for the common shares will be subject to market trends and conditions generally, notwithstanding any potential success we have in creating revenues, cash flows or earnings. The price of our common shares has been subject to price and volume volatility in the past and will likely continue to be subject to such volatility in the future.
Because our common shares are not listed on a national securities exchange, a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common shares, and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common shares in the secondary market.
We are subject to the so-called “penny stock” rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange. For any transaction involving a “penny stock,” unless exempt, the rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers, subject to certain exceptions. A broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade, and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of, our common shares on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace. These factors could significantly negatively affect the market price of our common shares and our ability to raise capital.
We believe that we were a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) for the year ended December 31, 2019, and could be a PFIC in subsequent years, which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for U.S. shareholders.
An investor in our common shares that is a U.S. taxpayer (referred to as a U.S. shareholder) should be aware that we believe that we were a PFIC for the year ended December 31, 2019. We also expect that we will be a PFIC for the year ended December 31, 2020 but our PFIC status for such year may not be free from doubt. We may or may not be a PFIC in subsequent years. The tests for determining PFIC status depend upon a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control and can be subject to uncertainties. Accordingly, we cannot provide certainty that we were or were not a PFIC for the year ended December 31, 2019, or that we will or will not be a PFIC for the year ending December 31, 2020, or for any future year. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide information regarding our status as a PFIC and the PFIC status of any subsidiary in which the Company owns more than 50% of such subsidiary’s total aggregate voting power to U.S. shareholders who make a written request for such
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information. Adverse rules apply to U.S. shareholders who own our common shares if we are a PFIC and have a non-U.S. subsidiary that is itself a PFIC, as may be the case with our wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Earth Holdings, Ltd. Each U.S. shareholder should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, U.S. federal alternative minimum, U.S. federal estate and gift, and U.S. state and local tax consequences of the PFIC rules and the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our common shares if we are or become a PFIC. For additional information regarding PFIC tax consequences, see “Part II, Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
BEAR LODGE PROPERTY (WYOMING, USA)
The Bear Lodge Property contains two projects, the Bear Lodge REE Project and the Sundance Gold Project. The Bear Lodge REE Project consists of the Bull Hill deposit, inclusive of the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits and the exploration targets of East Taylor and Carbon, all of which are located near Sundance, Wyoming. The Bear Lodge REE Project also includes the proposed hydrometallurgical plant site to be located on private property in Upton, Wyoming that we currently have an option to purchase. Additional details on each of these areas are set forth below under the heading “Bear Lodge REE Project”. We hold our interest in the Bear Lodge Property through our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., a Wyoming corporation.
The Bear Lodge Property is located in central Crook County, northeast Wyoming, and is approximately 19 kilometers northwest of Sundance, Wyoming. The Bear Lodge Property is accessible by paved and well-maintained gravel roads. The Bear Lodge Property lies within the Black Hills National Forest along the crest of the northern part of the Bear Lodge Mountains, a narrow northwest-trending range. Physiographically, it is the northwest extension of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and is characterized by rolling grass and pine-covered mountains that reach elevations of 1,950 meters within the Bear Lodge Property. The mountains have moderate slopes covered by western yellow pine forest interspersed with dense thickets of brush. Narrow grassy meadows cover the upper reaches of seasonal drainages. The lowest point within the Bear Lodge Property is about 1,768 meters in elevation. The climate during the summer is warm and relatively dry, followed by cold winters with variable amounts of snow.
We control 100% of the mineral rights at the Bear Lodge Property, consisting of unpatented mining claims and a right of repurchase on adjacent private land. We hold 499 unpatented mining claims located on land administered by the USFS. The Bear Lodge Property is located within parts of Sections 5, 7 through 9, Sections 14 through 23 and Sections 26 through 35 in Township 52 North and Range 63 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Crook County, Wyoming. All of the public property mining claims are unpatented, such that the paramount title to the land is held by the U.S. All of our Mineral Resources are located on mining claims that we hold.
On October 20, 2016, the Company and Whitelaw Creek LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company (“Whitelaw Creek”), executed an asset purchase agreement (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”). On October 26, 2016, the Company and Whitelaw Creek closed the transactions contemplated by the Asset Purchase Agreement, pursuant to which the Company sold to Whitelaw Creek for approximately $600,000 in cash approximately 640 acres of non-core real property located in Crook County, Wyoming, that is under consideration for a stockpile facility for the Bear Lodge REE Project (the “Land Sale”). We have the right to repurchase the land for $1,000,000 after the third anniversary following the Land Sale but on or before the fifth anniversary of the Land Sale, in each case subject to certain adjustments (the “Repurchase Price”). Payment of the Repurchase Price may be made, at Whitelaw Creek’s option, in the form of cash, common shares of the Company, or a combination of cash and common shares of the Company.
Our 100% interest in the 499 unpatented mining claims was, in part, acquired from Phelps Dodge Exploration Company (now a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. (“Freeport”)) by way of a Mineral Lease and Option for Deed in 2000, and 404 claims were transferred from Newmont Mining Corporation (“Newmont”) to us in May 2010.
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Some of our mining claims and a portion of a defined area of influence surrounding the claims were previously subject to a production royalty of 2% of NSR royalty payable to Freeport, but the Company purchased the NSR royalty in March 2009. We hold an unencumbered REE project, including all 499 unpatented mining claims, free of third-party royalties for REE production.
Exploration has been carried out on the Bear Lodge Property since 1949. In addition to Freeport, several mining companies have conducted exploration and drilling programs at or near the Bear Lodge Property since the discovery of mineralization. No mining or operations were conducted at the Bear Lodge Property by any of the prior owners.
Necessary infrastructure, such as housing, food and fuel is available in communities in close proximity to the Bear Lodge Property. Supplies can be delivered on both U.S. Interstate Highway 90 and rail lines. A Burlington Northern rail transport line also runs through Moorcroft, 55 kilometers west of Sundance, and through Upton, the site of the proposed hydrometallurgical plant, 64 kilometers south of Sundance. The Gillette, Wyoming area, located approximately 89 kilometers to the west, has two coal-fired power plants and is currently a major logistics center for Powder River Basin coal mining activity and will serve as such for any development at the Bear Lodge Property. The current size of the Bear Lodge Property is sufficiently large to support a mining operation, with no foreseeable obstacles regarding expansion, subject to a favorable outcome regarding permitting.
We are not aware of any outstanding environmental liabilities associated with the Bear Lodge Property, except for required reclamation work associated with our exploration and drilling activities. Previous exploration activities were approved by both the USFS and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We have an approved reclamation plan and a posted surety bond to cover the required reclamation.
Additional local, state and federal permits will be required for exploration, mining, beneficiation and processing operations, if we decide to proceed with further exploration or mine development and operations.
Geological Setting
The Bear Lodge Mountains of northeast Wyoming are composed primarily of the upper levels of a mineralized tertiary alkaline‐igneous complex that is a component of the Black Hills Uplift of western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming. Tertiary alkaline intrusive bodies in the northern Black Hills occur along a N70-80W trending belt that extends from Bear Butte in South Dakota, through the Bear Lodge Mountains, to Devil’s Tower and Missouri Buttes in northeast Wyoming. The Bear Lodge mining district is in the Bear Lodge Mountains, near the western end of the northern Black Hills intrusive belt. The Bear Lodge Mountains expose and are underlain by multiple alkaline plugs, sills, and dikes and intruded into Precambrian basement and Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks approximately 38–52 million years ago. REE and gold mineralization are found in separate areas of the central crest and northern part of the Bear Lodge Mountains.
The Bear Lodge alkaline-igneous complex is a northwest-trending alkaline intrusive dome with dimensions of approximately 10 kilometers NW-SE by 6 kilometers NE-SW. The complex consists predominantly of multiple intrusions of phonolite, trachyte, and other alkaline igneous rocks, and a variety of associated breccias and diatremes.
Exploration and Drilling
The Bear Lodge Mountains were initially prospected for gold during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Rare earth mineralization was first discovered in approximately 1949. Various companies conducted sporadic exploration of the area from the 1970s through the 1990s, both for rare earths and for gold. Commencing in 2004, we initiated REE exploration activities and from 2004 through 2013, a total of more than 160,000 feet of drilling was completed in over 200 core holes. Our exploration activities between 2013 through 2015 were limited as our focus turned to development drilling at the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits. These exploration activities included geochemical, geophysical, geological and mineralogical modeling of the district and individual deposits.
The 2013 drilling program involved infill drilling at the Whitetail Ridge deposit including 14 core holes for a total of 3,556 meters (11,697 feet). The second phase consisted of 21 core holes totaling 3,247 meters (10,650 feet) and six reverse circulation (“RC”) twin holes totaling 832 meters (2,730 feet). The RC twin holes were drilled using a center return hammer with the objective of minimizing hole erosion and obtaining assay data directly correlative to that from the adjacent core holes.
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The 2014 program consisted of the excavation of a test trench along the southwestern flank of Bull Hill in August. The main mineralized zone (Bull Hill Main) was exposed and exploited for the collection of geological information including dike dimension and structural continuity, grade variation, ore and gangue mineralogy, pit slope stability engineering and confirmation of parameters utilized in ore resource calculations. The program netted 907 tonnes (1,000 tons) of material the bulk of which is stored for current and future metallurgical work.
The 2015 condemnation program consisted of six rotary holes, and a total of 3,000 feet was drilled in September of 2015 to complete a program that was halted by the USFS in 2012 due to an archeological discovery. The program evaluated the subsurface for carbonatite-hosted REE mineralization and followed up on gold mineralization discovered in 2010 within and adjacent to the proposed physical upgrade (“PUG”) site. Based on results from the 2015 condemnation program, the PUG area is considered void of economic mineralization.
No drilling was performed from 2017 through 2019.
Bear Lodge REE Project
The Bear Lodge REE Project comprises several REE resource areas within the Bear Lodge Property. REE mineralization at the Bear Lodge Property occurs in the central lobe of the Bear Lodge Property alkaline-igneous complex. Most of the important identified REE deposits and occurrences within the Bear Lodge Property alkaline complex are contained within the Company’s block of unpatented lode mining claims. The REE deposits are located primarily in the vicinity of the Bull Hill deposit.
REE mineralized bodies occur as dikes, veins, and stockworks within the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposit areas of the Bear Lodge Property. The mineralization includes a well-defined, near-surface, oxidized FMR zone; a near-surface, oxidized, but incompletely leached, carbonatite zone (oxide-carbonate zone); a transitional or mixed zone (oxide + sulfide); and a deeper sulfide-bearing carbonatite (a high-carbonate igneous rock) zone. The oxide-carbonate and transitional zones were referred to collectively as a “transitional zone” in some prior news releases and technical reports. The mineralized zones were subsequently sub-classified, based on key characteristics of those zones. The FMR dikes and veins contain no matrix carbonates or sulfides. The sulfides are completely oxidized to hydrous iron oxides, and the non-REE bearing carbonate minerals (calcite and strontianite) show near-complete leaching from the zone, which ranges from the surface to depths of about 90–150 meters. The oxide-carbonate zone generally occurs beneath the oxide zone but approaches the surface locally in select dikes. It is characterized by the near absence of sulfides, with the residual iron oxides formed during almost complete oxidation of the former sulfide minerals, and by variable amounts of relict matrix carbonates (calcite ± strontianite) and the REE mineral, ancylite (a hydrous Strontanite-REE carbonate).
Bull Hill Deposit
The Bull Hill deposit mineralized bodies occur as steeply dipping, FMR-carbonatite dike swarms and associated stockwork. Geological interpretation of results from the 2010–2014 drill and trench programs indicates that the Bull Hill resource area is dominated by northwest-striking mineralized bodies in the southern two-thirds of the resource area, while the northern part of the resource area exhibits a transitional change in strike from dominantly northwesterly to almost due north. The dike swarm primarily intrudes heterolithic intrusive breccia of the Bull Hill diatreme and adjacent trachytic and phonolitic intrusive rocks. Carbonatite dikes at depth are interpreted to transition toward the surface into oxide-carbonate and FMR bodies. The mineralized structures range in size from veinlets to large dikes more than 30 meters in width. The Bull Hill deposit consists of one dominant dike set and several subsidiary dike sets in a swarm that has dimensions of more than 457 meters along strike and less than 100 meters in width. The dikes appear to pinch and swell in both strike and dip directions, and they can be traced in drill holes more than 305 meters down dip.
The Whitetail Ridge mineralization occurs about 700 meters northwest of the Bull Hill deposit. The REE mineralization consists of northwest- and north-striking FMR dikes, and an FMR stockwork zone that is also elongated northeasterly, with dimensions of roughly 380 meters by 290 meters. The enveloping gravity and radiometric geophysical anomalies and coincident soil geochemical anomalies are larger and may indicate a broader distribution of REE mineralization beneath the extensive soil and colluvial cover. Drilling conducted in 2011 through 2013 indicates that much of the mineralization is confined within the volume of the Whitetail Ridge diatreme.
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Pre-feasibility Study
In 2013 and 2014, we worked on optimizing the Bull Hill deposit plan, the mineral process methods and the Bear Lodge REE Project economics. In 2014, a Technical Report meeting the requirements of Canadian National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects was completed and included a PFS containing an estimate of the mineralization at the Bear Lodge REE Project as well as preliminary estimates of initial and life-of mine capital costs for the potential development of the project. These estimates have not been updated since the date of that report and the assumptions contained therein may need to be updated to be accurate in today’s environment.
Permitting Progress
The USFS is the lead agency in the NEPA process to prepare an EIS on the Bear Lodge REE Project. This process is essential to securing the permits and approvals necessary to move into production. In early 2012, we submitted the plan of operations for the Bear Lodge REE Project, which the USFS accepted as complete in May 2013. The USFS selected a project manager and prime contractor for preparation of the EIS, published notice in the Federal Register and completed necessary scoping work. The USFS issued a draft EIS on January 15, 2016, outlining plan alternatives and proffering a preferred alternative. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the appropriate state and local government agencies are involved in the EIS process as cooperating agencies. On January 22, 2016, our Board of Directors decided to continue to conserve cash due to the then difficult market conditions and suspend all permitting and licensing efforts, including the EIS process. We notified the USFS and cooperating agencies, the NRC and the state of Wyoming of our decision to suspend permitting and licensing efforts, and the parties acknowledged receipt of the notice. Assuming permitting efforts resume within a reasonable time, the final EIS and draft Record of Decision, the decision document that establishes the acceptable operating conditions, would be expected within 18 to 30 months of the resumption of such permitting efforts. During 2018 the Company undertook to update the baseline environmental data for the Bear Lodge REE Project.
Metallurgy and Mineralization
A planned PUG plant, located within the Bear Lodge REE Project area, was designed to maximize concentration of the rare earth minerals and produce a mineral concentrate using a crushing, screening, and gravity separation process depending on the material type. The PUG process was designed to concentrate the rare earth-bearing fines and reduce the physical mass. There are areas of the historical mineable pit that contain variable amounts of weathered oxide material or oxide-carbonate Mineralized Material, and that contain variable grades of stockwork mineralization adjacent to the higher-grade material. Each of these material types was projected to have a different upgrade percentage and mass reduction in the PUG circuit. The historical mining plan anticipated exploitation of a distinct high-grade zone early in the Bear Lodge REE Project that was planned to allow for preferential mining in the initial years of the mine. Low and mid-grade material were to also be mined and stockpiled for future PUG processing.
Reclamation of mining-related facilities was planned to occur during mine operations, where applicable, and upon completion of mining and stockpiling of materials. Other facilities, including the PUG plant, would be reclaimed as soon as the stockpiled materials are depleted.
The Company has formerly conducted metallurgical test work primarily at SGS Lakefield Research Limited of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada, which is independent from the Company. That test work is now being validated and enhanced by UIT as described in Note 8 to the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2019.
Other Exploration Target Areas at the Bear Lodge REE Project
Discovery of high-grade REE mineralization at the East Taylor Target Area and the Carbon Target Area expanded the area of known REE mineralization outside of the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits. The data indicate that the Bear Lodge REE Project area covers a crudely elliptical area that extends approximately 1,750 meters northwest-southeast by 1,300 meters northeast-southwest. The Carbon exploration target area is located northwest of the Bull Hill deposit, and the East Taylor Target Area is located west of the Bull Hill deposit. Drill assay data from the East Taylor Target Area and the Carbon Target Area identify these areas as zones of HREE-enrichment relative to the
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Bull Hill deposit. These two exploration target areas, along with the Whitetail Ridge deposit, are peripheral to the Bull Hill deposit. The discovery of these target areas indicates good potential for additional deposits of high-grade REE in the western half of the Bear Lodge REE Project, and those deposits appear to be particularly enriched in HREE.
Sundance Gold Project
The Sundance Gold Project is the second project located on our Bear Lodge Property. The Sundance Gold Project consists of 288 unpatented lode mining claims adjacent to the Bull Hill Rare Earth Project in Crook County, Wyoming. In 2011, we published a Technical Report that contains dated estimates of inferred mineral resources on the Sundance Gold Project. As a result of the Company’s current focus on the Bear Lodge REE Project and in light of ongoing volatile economic conditions for gold, no drilling or exploration on the Sundance Gold Project has been conducted since the end of 2011. We have not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves and we are not treating the estimate as current mineral resources or mineral reserves.