WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has selected the University of North Dakota (UND) for award negotiations under a $75 million initiative to advance the recovery of rare earth elements and other critical materials from coal and coal-based feedstocks. The pilot project will be located in Underwood, North Dakota, and is one of five projects selected nationwide. Earlier this year, Hoeven led an effort with the North Dakota congressional delegation calling on DOE to support UND’s proposal. In a letter to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the delegation cited the university’s leadership in developing technologies to recover critical minerals from North Dakota lignite.
“This selection builds on North Dakota’s leadership in energy innovation and will help strengthen our domestic critical minerals supply chain,” said Hoeven. “UND’s work will support new opportunities to harness our state’s abundant lignite reserves while helping meet the nation’s energy, manufacturing and national security needs.”
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