Coal in the United States (U.S.) is a vast natural resource that powered the industrial revolution and has dominated the electric power industry for decades. With the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimating in 2018 that there are more than 253 billion short tons of coal reserves in the U.S., there is enough coal to energize the country for hundreds of years. However, the potential for coal to impact and revolutionize U.S. industries is far more than its heating value. This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) − Carbon Ore,1 Rare Earth and Critical Mineral (CORE-CM) Initiative for U.S. Basins − is focused on expanding and transforming the use of coal and coal-based resources to produce Rare Earth Elements (REE), Critical Minerals (CM) and novel high-value, nonfuel, Carbon-Based Products (CBP), as part of our next generation of domestic U.S. materials. Realizing this potential would enable the U.S. to reduce its dependence on REE and CM imports and establish and advance a new CBP industry. The resulting innovative products would be used not only by consumers, but also by the defense industry.

The vision of the Carbon Ore, Rare Earth and Critical Minerals (CORE-CM) Initiative for U.S. Basins is to catalyze regional economic growth and job creation by realizing the full potential value of natural resources, such as coal, across basins throughout the U.S. It has been designed to address the upstream and midstream critical minerals supply chain and downstream manufacturing of high-value, nonfuel, carbon-based products, to accelerate the realization of full potential for carbon ores and critical minerals within the U.S basins. U.S. coals and associated by-products and waste streams can be used as feedstocks for domestic production of REE and CM to enhance our national and economic security. They can also be used as sources of carbon for production of high-value, nonfuel, CBP.

Deadline: Jan. 5, 2021