Mark Smith

Mark A. Smith is CEO and Executive Chairman of NioCorp Developments Ltd., which is developing the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project in southeast Nebraska, designed to produce niobium, scandium, titanium and magnetic rare earths. He is the former CEO of Molycorp, Inc.

Wheel loaders fill trucks with ore at the MP Materials rare earth mine in Mountain Pass, California

Opinion

June 1, 2026

The West still doesn’t grasp the danger of China’s rare earth endgame

Heavy rare earths like dysprosium and terbium power EVs and military weapons, but China's export cutoff may be permanent as supplies dwindle at home.

A Rare-Earth mine is seen in Baiyun'ebo or Bayan Obo, a mining town in Inner Mongolia in China.

Opinion

January 15, 2025

Mine, Baby, Mine: US needs to dig deep to help our military

If the US military is going to be able to keep our adversaries in check, then we need to mine for more rare earth minerals. China just restricted exports to 28 American defense firms.