America once dominated the rare-earth market, but permitting requirements are holding the industry back.
Permitting is a major problem. It takes seven to 10 years for a new mine to obtain the necessary permits in the United States, compared to an average of two years in Canada and Australia, according to the Essential Minerals Association (EMA), an industry group. An S&P Global study published in 2024 found that it took American mines an average of 29 years to go from discovery to production—the second-longest period in the world behind Zambia.
https://reason.com/2026/03/21/chinas-rare-earth-dominance-was-made-in-america