Rare-Earths metals are a group of seventeen elements in the periodic table that consist of the 15 lanthanides and Scandium and Yttrium.

Currently China is producing 97% of the rare-earth used globally.

This puts significant pressure for the world to find an alternate source, especially since China has been reducing export quotas, increasing duties and taxes, and holding production quantities at a level that creates a shortage for the world.

This has caused the costs of rare-earth elements to increase in a period of a year by about 10-fold. 

Congress is aware of the issue and has required the U. S. General Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate.  The report that the GAO submitted can be accessed by clicking on the link below -