Project Grant A15AP00048

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) awarded a $200,000 Cooperative Agreement to Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University (Virginia Tech) under the "Science and Technology Projects Related to Coal Mining and Reclamation" CFDA program. The objective is to develop and verify a novel phytomining-based process that enables simultaneous rare earth element (REE) recovery and solid waste reclamation from coal mine...

The Respec Company, LLC received a $249,929 Project Grant award from the Department of Energy Office of Science on June 28, 2021 to support production of critical minerals from coal-based resources. The award was made under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049), which supports basic research to deliver scientific discoveries and tools to transform understanding of nature and advance U.S. energy and economic security. Specifically, Respec Co LLC will use the funding...

Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary The University of Nevada, Reno (operating through the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education) received a $329,620 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (CFDA 15.073) for the project "Nevada Regional Intrusion Lithogeochemistry, Zircon U-PB Geochronology, and Zircon Trace and Rare Earth Element Chemistry." The three-year project runs from February 16, 2026 through February 15,...

The Hopi Utilities Corporation (HUC) received a $358,170 Project Grant award on September 22, 2025, under the Department of the Interior's Minerals and Mining on Indian Lands program (CFDA 15.038) to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study and business plan for developing up to 2,000 megawatts of generation and storage capacity on Hopi-controlled lands in the Winslow, Arizona area. The two-year project, concluding September 21, 2027, employs a technology-agnostic approach to assess generation,...

This Project Grant award from the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs under the Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) Grants program (CFDA 15.148) provides $180,000 to the Burns Paiute Tribe to conduct a feasibility study for establishing a Tribal Utility Authority (TUA). The study will evaluate organizational and policy strategies to support the Tribe's energy objectives outlined in its Strategic Energy Plan. The project involves a three-phased approach, including...

Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) received a $355,615 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (CFDA 15.073) effective September 30, 2025 through March 31, 2027. Under this award, UNR will conduct geochemical characterization and develop a geospatial inventory of Nevada's mine waste sites with high potential for critical mineral extraction. The project prioritizes cataloging mine sites within Nevada's...

Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary The University of Nevada, Reno received a $180,038 Cooperative Agreement award dated October 15, 2025, under the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP, CFDA 15.810), administered by the U.S. Geological Survey. The two-year project, scheduled for completion on October 14, 2027, focuses on detailed geological mapping of Neogene-age volcanic products in the Silver Peak Range and Palmetto Mountains surrounding Clayton Valley, Nevada. The project...

The Economic Development Administration awarded Navajo Technical University a $2,344,800 project grant under the Economic Adjustment Assistance program. The grant will support the completion of NTU's Metrology and Materials Testing Center and fund metal additive manufacturing activities to serve the Navajo Nation. Specifically, the funding will provide a functional and certifiable laboratory for metrology and materials testing at NTU. Ultimately, the Center will transfer advanced manufacturing...

The Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management awarded a $6,265,773 Cooperative Agreement under the Fossil Energy Research and Development (CFDA 81.089) program to The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) on September 19, 2024. The primary objective of this project, titled "The Alliance for Critical Mineral Extraction and Production from Coal-Based Resources for Vitality Enhancement in Domestic Supply Chains (ACME-REVIVE)," is to revive a robust,...

The Department of Energy's Office of Science awarded a $249,986 Project Grant under the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (CFDA 81.049) to Microbeam Technologies Incorporated, a for-profit subchapter S corporation located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The grant, titled "SUBSURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF CRITICAL MINERALS USING DOWN HOLE LOGGING EQUIPMENT," will fund research to develop advanced techniques for analyzing and processing coal-based resources to extract critical...