Rare Element Resources Ltd: Form 10-K for the period ended Dec 31, 2022

Rare Element was incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia, Canada on June 3, 1999 as Spartacus Capital Inc. We are currently governed under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) (the “BCBCA”). Our executive office address is P.O. Box 271049, Littleton, Colorado 80127. The telephone number for our executive office is (720) 278-2460. We maintain a corporate website at www.rareelementresources.com (http://www.rareelementresources.com).

Originally organized as a “capital pool” company whose activities were focused on the identification and completion of a qualifying transaction as required by the rules of the TSX Venture Exchange (“TSX-V”), we transitioned to a “venture company” on July 25, 2003, coincident with (1) the completion of a reverse takeover acquisition of Rare Element Holdings Ltd. (the qualifying transaction), (2) a name change of “Spartacus Capital Inc.” to Rare Element Resources Ltd., and (3) the completion of a private placement. The Company’s main assets include its proprietary rare earth processing and/or beneficiation and separation technology and its 100% interest in a group of unpatented mining claims and repurchase rights to adjacent private property, together known as the Bear Lodge Property, owned through a wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., a Wyoming corporation.

SUBSIDIARIES

We have one direct wholly owned subsidiary, incorporated under the laws of British Columbia, Canada in 1996 under the name Rare Element Holdings Ltd. That subsidiary has one direct wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., incorporated in 1997 in the state of Wyoming, USA, formerly known as Paso Rico (USA), Inc. (“Paso Rico”).

DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS

We are focused on demonstrating the technical and economic feasibility of our proprietary recovery and separation technology through the permitting and licensing, construction, and operation of a planned Demonstration Plant and advancing the Bear Lodge REE Project located near the town of Sundance in northeast Wyoming. The Bear Lodge REE Project consists of several large, disseminated REE deposits and a planned hydrometallurgical plant to be located near Upton, Wyoming. The Bear Lodge REE Project is one of the highest-grade REE deposits identified in North America containing a favorable distribution of CREE.

In its development efforts for the Bear Lodge REE Project, the Company has done extensive laboratory bench-scale and pilot plant testing on metallurgical processes to recover saleable rare earth products and has been granted two patents on its metallurgical processing innovations. Among them, the Company has pilot tested and received patent protection on a rare earth separation technique that modifies conventional solvent extraction methods for rare earth separation expected to be more cost efficient and environmentally sound, involving minimal waste effluents discharged from the process.

Our near-term focus is on the progression of the Demonstration Plant as further described below. Assuming the Demonstration Plant operation is successful, the Company plans to evaluate the feasibility of processing and separating REEs from the Bear Lodge REE Project as well as other sources at commercial scale.

During the first quarter of 2016, we placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all permitting and licensing activities were suspended at that time. Based on current permitting and licensing timetables and other factors, we anticipate that we could receive all permits and licenses for the Bear Lodge REE Project approximately 18 to 30 months after resuming permitting and licensing efforts, which efforts may be dependent upon our Demonstration Plant’s operating results.

Once the decision to resume the Bear Lodge REE Project development activities is made, our plan is to advance engineering in preparation for the FS, including an evaluation of a potential modular approach to development beginning with a smaller initial production facility utilizing high-grade material which could then be scaled up. Our ability to begin construction activities on the Bear Lodge REE Project may be subject to various factors including: (i) the availability of adequate capital, (ii) positive results from the Demonstration Plant’s operations, (iii) an affirmative FS, (iv) securing off-take agreements with customers at adequate prices, (v) obtaining necessary permits and licenses, and (vi) approval from the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”).

The Bear Lodge REE Project deposit is located near excellent mining infrastructure, including good road access and power lines within two kilometers of the property. Geographically, it is 100 kilometers east of Gillette, Wyoming, a major infrastructure, support, and logistics center for coal mines in the Powder River Basin that should provide for ready access to many of the required production supplies and materials as well as skilled labor. Additionally, the deposit is situated only 64 kilometers from the nearest railhead at Upton, Wyoming, where the Demonstration Plant and the proposed hydrometallurgical plant are planned to be sited, allowing access to major distribution channels via the adjacent railhead as well as convenient access to utilities and other infrastructure.

Additional information regarding the Bear Lodge REE Project and the Bear Lodge Property is included under the section heading “Item 2. Properties” in this Annual Report.

RECENT CORPORATE DEVELOPMENTS

Rare Earth Demonstration Plant Project

Department of Energy Financial Award

In January 2021, a consortium of companies, of which the Company is a part, received notice from the DoE that the consortium had been selected for negotiation of a potential financial award for the engineering, construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing Demonstration Plant. The consortium of companies is led by General Atomics, an affiliate of Synchron, the Company’s majority shareholder, and includes certain of General Atomics’ affiliates, and LNV, an Ardurra Group, Inc. company, as engineering and construction subcontractor. A formal proposal was submitted by the consortium in response to a published Funding Opportunity Announcement in mid-2020 for the construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing plant utilizing proprietary technology to produce commercial-grade products. The DoE finalized the award, and an agreement was executed by the DoE’s grants/agreement officer on September 27, 2021, with an effective date of October 1, 2021. The Company, as a subrecipient of the award, along with the other consortium members, commenced work on the planning and design of the Demonstration Plant project in November 2021, with the Company’s contractual arrangement with General Atomics finalized in December 2021. The DoE funding is in the amount of $21,900 and represents approximately one-half of the total estimated costs for the Plant. The Demonstration Plant will process already stockpiled high-grade sample materials from the Bear Lodge REE Project.

To address the Company’s funding needs, during December 2021, the Company completed a rights offering for gross proceeds of approximately $25,400. The Company is using the net proceeds from the rights offering for the permitting, licensing, engineering, construction, and operation of the Demonstration Plant. The previously noted $21,900 financial award from the DoE is expected to fund approximately one-half of the projected total cost of the Demonstration Plant, with the balance of the required funding being provided by the Company utilizing the proceeds of the rights offering and other funding sources.

During 2022, the Company, along with the other consortium members, progressed their work on the Demonstration Plant, and this work is expected to continue through the Plant’s anticipated completion date of operations in the early part of 2025. Through December 31, 2022, the Company had paid to General Atomics, as leader of the consortium, a total of $6,700 toward its share of the expected cost of the Demonstration Plant (see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion).

In December 2022, the Demonstration Plant achieved its final engineering design milestone marking the completion of the DoE’s first go/no-go decision point. The completion of this milestone was a gating event for the DoE’s continued funding of the Demonstration Plant as provided for in the 2021 award grant. Future gating milestones include the expected completion of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (the “NRC”) licensing and DoE National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (“NEPA”) review in the second half of 2023 and the completion of the Plant’s construction in the second half of 2024. Operations to process and separate the REE from the stockpiled sample materials are expected to follow the completion of the Plant’s construction for an additional eight-to-10-month period.

Wyoming Energy Authority Financial Award

In November 2022, the Company received notice that it had been awarded a $4,400 grant from the Wyoming Energy Authority (“WEA”) to be used toward the advancement of the Demonstration Plant. The WEA grant is a cost-reimbursement award that will be available to the Company for future Demonstration Plant expenses. At December 31, 2022, the terms of this grant were still being finalized and no amount of the $4,400 award had been received by the Company. Depending on the award’s final terms and conditions, the Company may be able to claim a portion of the $4,400 grant during 2023. No amounts related to this grant have been included in the Company’s December 31, 2022 financial statements.

Future Funding Needs

Even with the completion of the 2021 rights offering and expected receipt of the WEA grant, the Company will not have sufficient funds to progress its longer-term activities beyond the Demonstration Plant’s operational period, including feasibility studies, permitting, licensing, and development and construction related to the Bear Lodge REE Project. Therefore, the achievement of these longer-term activities will be dependent upon the receipt of additional funds through financings, off-take agreements, joint ventures, strategic transactions, or sales of various assets. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be successful in completing such other financings or transactions. Ultimately, in the event that the Company cannot secure additional financial resources, or complete a strategic transaction in the longer term, it may need to suspend its operational plans or even have to liquidate its business interests, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.

Current External Factors Impacting our Business

Throughout 2022, we continued to monitor the general U.S. political climate and actions taken by the U.S. government to secure a domestic, rare earth supply chain. The U.S. federal government issued two Presidential Executive Orders in 2017 to encourage and support the establishment of a domestic rare earth supply chain and to strengthen the defense industrial base with respect to critical minerals including rare earths. In June 2019, the Department of Commerce released its report entitled “Federal strategy to ensure secure and reliable supplies of critical minerals.” This was followed by five U.S. Presidential Determinations on July 22, 2019, directed to the Secretary of Defense. One Presidential Determination declared that “the domestic production capability for Rare Earth Metals and Alloys is essential to the national defense.” These initiatives have increased the federal government’s level of interest in the rare earth industry and our potential rare earth products as a critical upstream segment of the supply chain, particularly considering China’s dominance in the global rare earth market.

In addition, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other external influences (such as the Russia/Ukraine war) have further focused the U.S. government on the importance of implementing secure domestic supply chains, including for rare earths, leading to a further Presidential Executive Order issued in February 2021 calling for an expedited 100-day review to address the strengthening of America’s supply chains, specifically requiring the Department of Defense to (i) submit a report identifying “risks in the supply chain of critical minerals and other strategic materials including rare earth elements” and (ii) make policy recommendations to address the risks. The 100-day review led to another Executive Order on June 8, 2021, calling for an investment in sustainable domestic and international production and processing of critical minerals, including a recommendation that Congress take actions to recapitalize and restore the National Defense Stockpile of critical minerals and materials. The Company monitors and participates in these initiatives as they are critical to the production of rare earth magnets used in the United States to support the manufacturing of, among other things, defense technologies, electric vehicles, wind turbines, consumer electronics, and oil refining equipment.

TRENDS AND DESCRIPTION OF THE REE MARKET

Uses for REE Products

Due to variations in physical, chemical, molecular and application characteristics, different rare earth metals possess their own market uses, drivers and challenges. REEs are used in computers, cellular telephones, television screens, wind turbines, fuel cells, automobiles, magnetic refrigeration, energy-efficient lighting, petroleum-refining catalysts, and numerous other modern specialty technologies including military applications. Lately, the major driver for the rare earth metals market has been the increasing consumption in the manufacture of permanent NdFeB rare earth magnets, in which rare earth metals such as Nd, Pr, Tb, and Dy are used. Specifically, these REEs are used in hybrid and electric vehicle motors as well as in wind turbines. Ce, La, and other REE are widely used in applications such as metallurgy, catalysts, glass, ceramics, optical instruments, and polishing.

Trends Affecting REE Supply, Demand and Prices

In 2022, rare earth mine production increased by approximately 17% to 312,000 tonnes REO relative to 2021 with refined production estimated to be 205,000 tonnes REO, a 13% increase from 2021. Production from China accounted for most of the increase. China dominates the global supply of rare earths at both the mined and refined stages, accounting for 65% of global mine production and 87% of refined production in 2022. China’s share of global mine production is partly influenced by U.S. production of concentrates which are sent to China for downstream refining.

In the rest of the world, specifically in the U.S. and Australia, certain competitors constitute the second tier of rare earth concentrate producing companies, with 42,000 tonnes REO mine production from the U.S. and approximately 36,000 tonnes REO mine production from Australia. A facility in Malaysia produces separated rare earths from REO mine production in Australia.

The rapid growth in demand for certain REE, specifically Nd and Pr used in permanent magnets for motors and generators, is expected to continue as these magnets give improved performance compared with other magnets. Increased focus on clean energy is pushing the demand for wind turbines and electric vehicles, which in turn will drive the demand for rare earth magnets in electric motor and generator applications. Magnet demand now accounts for more than 40% of total rare earth demand and greater than 80% of REE market value.

The research and advisory firm, Wood Mackenzie Limited (“Wood Mackenzie”), is forecasting that magnet applications, particularly automotive motors, and wind energy generation, will continue to increase their share of overall demand for rare earth magnets rising from 45% in 2022 to 54% in 2032. This increase in demand for magnet rare earths, namely Nd-Pr, Dy and Tb oxides, is expected to drive future growth above other rare earth compounds and support higher prices. Growth in the automotive sector is expected to be led by battery electric vehicles (BEV) with a 16.0% compound annual growth rate (“CAGR”) and 12,700 tonnes REO consumption in 2023 with growth in the energy generation sector coming from an increase in the installed capacity of wind turbines averaging a CAGR of 9.6% from 2022 to 2032. During 2022, the annual global demand for rare earth oxides for use in permanent magnets reached 76,400 tonnes REO, representing 44% of total REE demand.

Supply and demand factors for REE products that could positively impact future REE prices include the following, among other factors:

• the use of Nd, Pr, Tb and Dy in high-strength magnets that are critical to multiple defense applications, hybrid and electric vehicles and wind power generation facilities, particularly large off-shore installations;
• the use of high-strength NdFeB magnets in the miniaturization of electronic products;
• the use of La in FCCs by refineries processing lower quality crude oil that consumes greater quantities of the catalysts;
• the increased use of REEs in the drive to reduce GHGs by the U.S., China, and the European Union;
• China consolidating its REE industry and closing small, inefficient, and polluting REE producers;
• the capping of production, tightening of export volumes and imports by China;
• changes in trade policies, including changes in taxes or import/export duties for REE materials by the U.S. government and/or China;
• the use of Ce in glass, ceramics, glass polishing, and advanced water filtration applications;
• the continued research and commercialization of new applications for REE products; and
• the rising costs in China due to stricter environmental controls and rising wages.

Supply and demand factors for REE products that could negatively impact future REE prices include the following, among other factors:

• the potential for oversupply of certain REEs due to new production inside and outside of China and/or increased exports from China;
• development or enhancements of alternative electric motor or generator technologies that may use less of no REE magnet materials;
• strong demand for selected REEs like magnet materials, driving overproduction of other co-product REEs and creating oversupply conditions for non-magnet REEs;
• the potential substitution of other materials for higher-priced REEs;
• economization by intermediate and end-users to reduce the usage of REEs in end-products;
• the potential for increased recycling of higher-priced REEs;
• fluctuating oil, gas and coal prices that could reduce the demand for technologies using REEs;
• static or lower global economic growth, reducing overall demand growth for REEs; and
• potential by-product production of REEs that may increase supply irrespective of the economics of REE production from primary mines.

The feasibility of the Bear Lodge REE Project and our ability to raise additional funds to develop the Bear Lodge REE Project may be impacted by global supply and demand and future prices of REEs.

SEASONALITY

At this stage, seasonality in the state of Wyoming is not a material factor to any future exploration, development, and operating activities on the Bear Lodge Property. Snowfall in the winter may temporarily limit our access to the Bear Lodge Property and our ability to explore, operate, or transport sample materials to Upton, Wyoming for use in the Demonstration Plant or a future commercial-scale processing facility from approximately November through June.

COMPETITION

The industry in which we operate is highly competitive. We compete with other mining and exploration companies, both within the U.S. and internationally, for the exploration and development of mineral properties and production of REEs as well as funding for projects. There is competition for the limited number of opportunities, some involving companies having substantially greater financial resources, staff, and facilities than we do, and some with rare earth operational experience. We also compete with other mining and exploration companies in our efforts to hire and retain experienced professionals. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting or retaining key personnel or securing outside technical resources.

In 2022, China accounted for an estimated 65% of global REE mine production and 87% of refined production. Wood McKenzie has forecasted that China will remain the primary source of mine supply over the next decade, accounting for 58% by 2032. China will remain the largest contributor of refined supply, projected to produce 65% (218.5 kt REO) in 2032. In similar fashion, the distribution of demand will remain Asia focused with China maintaining a dominant position, accounting for 48% of total rare earth demand in 2032. This gives the Chinese producers a competitive advantage in controlling the supply and processing of REEs and an opportunity to influence prices to discourage competition. Any increase in the amount of REEs exported from other nations increases supply and may result in price reductions, reduced margins and loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business. As a result of these factors, the Company may not be able to compete effectively against current and future competitors. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.

PATENTS, TRADEMARKS AND LICENSES

We rely on a combination of trade secret protection, nondisclosure agreements, trademarks, and patents to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights in our rare earth technology.

As of December 31, 2022, we had filed U.S. provisional patent applications relating to processing methods, including (1) selective recovery of REEs from mixed chloride leach solutions using oxalic acid, and (2) separation of thorium from bulk REEs in a solvent extraction (“SX”) process. These provisional applications provided the basis for the current patent portfolio, which includes two issued U.S. patents and one pending U.S. divisional patent, one pending foreign application, and fourteen issued foreign patents across thirteen foreign jurisdictions. The issued U.S. patents have a term of 20 years measured from the filing date of the utility patent applications. We licensed our intellectual property, including patents and related technical information to Synchron in October 2017, in which the license became exclusive to Synchron and its affiliates in October 2019. The Company retains a limited use right to use its intellectual property and any enhancements thereto. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. Several of these technologies have potential value for application in other industries.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION

Our exploration and planned development, mining and processing activities are subject to extensive and demanding environmental laws and regulations under various federal, state, county and local laws relating to the protection of the environment, which generally includes air and water quality, hazardous waste management, radionuclide handling and reclamation. Failure to comply with these requirements can result in civil and/or criminal liability for non-compliance, fines and penalties, clean-up costs and other environmental damages. Also, unanticipated developments or changes in the law could require us to make environmental expenditures significantly greater than those we currently expect. Environmental laws historically have evolved in a manner that requires stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, more stringent environmental assessments of proposed projects and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors, and employees. Current and future laws, regulations and permits will impose significant costs, liabilities or obligations or could limit or prevent our ability to continue operations or undertake new operations. A future change in the U.S. presidential administration or in the composition of the Congress could result in more stringent environmental regulation of our operations. Environmental hazards may exist on the properties in which we hold interests that are unknown to us at present and that have been caused by previous owners of the properties.

Our Bear Lodge Property in Wyoming is subject to federal and state environmental laws, regulations, and permits. The federal agency with primary regulatory jurisdiction is the U.S. Forest Service (the “USFS”), Bear lodge Ranger District, Sundance, Wyoming. The state agency with regulatory jurisdiction is the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We operate under approvals and permits granted by these two agencies and have established a surety bond to ensure environmental reclamation of areas disturbed. As of December 31, 2022, the Company holds a surety bond with the state of Wyoming of $132. Prior to operating, we will require several other permits and licenses including those issued by the NRC, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and others.

MINERALS EXPLORATION REGULATION

Mining operations and exploration and development activities are subject to various national, state, county and local laws and regulations in the U.S. that govern prospecting, exploration, development, mining, production, processing, exports, taxes, labor standards, occupational health, waste disposal, protection of the environment, mine safety, hazardous substances, and other matters. The Company believes that it is in compliance in all material respects with applicable mining, health, safety and environmental statutes and regulations. There are no current orders or notices of violations relating to the Company under applicable laws and regulations.

Compliance with these laws and regulations may impose substantial costs on the Company and could subject it to significant potential liabilities. Changes in these laws or regulations could require us to expend significant resources to comply with new laws or regulations, or changes to current requirements, and could have a material adverse effect on our business operations.

MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS

Pursuant to Section 1503(a) of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd–Frank Act”), issuers that are operators, or that have a subsidiary that is an operator, of a coal or other mine in the U.S. are required to disclose in their periodic reports filed with the SEC information regarding specified health and safety violations, orders and citations, related assessments and legal actions, and mining-related fatalities. During the year ended December 31, 2022, our Bear Lodge Property was not subject to regulation by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977.

EMPLOYEES

At December 31, 2022, we had two full-time employees and no part-time employees. Our employees are not covered by any collective bargaining agreements. When required, our employees will engage the services of third parties under consulting or service agreements.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

We make available, free of charge, on or through our Internet website, at www.rareelementresources.com (http://www.rareelementresources.com), our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and our current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Our website and the information contained therein or connected thereto are not intended to be, and are not, incorporated into this Annual Report.

Our reports and other information can be inspected on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov (http://www.sec.gov). The Company also files reports under Canadian regulatory requirements on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”). The Company’s reports which are filed on SEDAR can be found under the Company’s SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com (http://www.sedar.com).

The following sets forth certain risks and uncertainties that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and/or results of operations and the trading price of our common shares, which may decline, and investors may lose all or part of their investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. We cannot assure you that we will successfully address these risks. Our risk factors are grouped into the following categories:

• Risks Related to Our Business;
• Risks Related to the Mineral Exploration, Development, Mining and Processing Industries;
• Risks Related to Our Common Stock; and
• General Risk Factors.

Risks Related to Our Business

We may not be able to successfully secure licenses or permits for, or complete, our Demonstration Plant project.

The Demonstration Plant is expected to be completed within 40 months from the project’s inception. The Demonstration Plant requires permits and licenses in order to construct and operate the plant. We may not be able to timely secure those permits and licenses to ensure that the project is able to progress. Further, the approved DoE schedule has two go/no-go decision points during the term. Should the project team and/or the DoE determine not to proceed with the project, funding would be halted, and the project would be terminated or delayed, which could have a material adverse effect on our development plans.

Current inflationary conditions may adversely impact the ability to complete the Demonstration Plant construction and operations.

We are subject to the impact of inflation on wages, capital equipment, general supplies and reagents in the construction and operation of our Demonstration Plant that may require supplemental funding or a change in scope of the planned operation. If such funding cannot be secured, the Demonstration Plant may not be able to be completed, or the scope could be reduced, either of which could adversely impact the intended results.

We have no revenues from operations and expect to incur losses for a significant period of time. Any future revenues and profits are uncertain.

We incurred net losses of $9,426 and $5,402 during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. Our accumulated deficit at December 31, 2022 was $148,644. As of December 31, 2022, we had cash and cash equivalents of $15,523 and working capital of $17,628.

Even with the completion of the rights offering and the expected receipt of the $4,400 from the WEA grant, the Company will not have sufficient funds to progress with longer term activities beyond the Demonstration Plant project, including with respect to feasibility studies, permitting, licensing, and development and construction related to the Bear Lodge REE Project. Therefore, the achievement of these longer-term activities will be dependent upon receipt of additional funds through financings, off-take agreements, joint ventures, strategic transactions, or sales of various assets. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be successful in completing other financings or transactions. Ultimately, in the event that the Company cannot secure additional financial resources, or complete a strategic transaction in the longer term, it may need to suspend its operational plans or even have to liquidate its business interests, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.

Our largest shareholder beneficially owns a majority of our common shares, has significant influence on our major corporate decisions, including veto power over some matters, and could take actions that may not be viewed favorably by certain other shareholders, any of which actions could adversely affect the market price of our common shares.

Synchron currently owns approximately 54.8% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company. Additionally, Synchron has approval rights for certain corporate actions and the right to nominate three of seven directors to the Company’s Board.

As a result of the foregoing, Synchron has significant influence on our major corporate decisions and matters requiring shareholder approval, including the election of directors, mergers, consolidations and acquisitions, the sale of all or substantially all of our assets and other decisions affecting our capital structure, the amendment of our certificate of incorporation and articles, and our winding up and dissolution. These rights, along with the concentration of ownership and voting power with Synchron, (i) may make it more difficult for any other holder or group of holders of our common shares to significantly influence the way we are managed or the direction of our business and (ii) may make it more difficult for another company to acquire us and for shareholders to receive any related takeover premium unless Synchron approves the acquisition. The interests of Synchron with respect to matters potentially or actually involving or affecting us, such as future acquisitions, financings, and other corporate opportunities, and attempts to acquire us, may conflict with the interests of our other shareholders. The ability of Synchron to influence certain of our major corporate decisions may affect the market price of our common shares by delaying, deferring, or preventing transactions that are or are perceived to be in the best interest of other shareholders or by discouraging third-party investors.

By granting a license in our intellectual property rights, we may be limited in our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, which could adversely impact our competitive position or results of operations.

On October 2, 2017, we entered into an Intellectual Property Rights Agreement with Synchron pursuant to which Synchron and its affiliates were granted certain perpetual rights to the intellectual property of the Company relating to its rare earths’ patents and related technical information. Upon the exercise of its option on October 16, 2019, Synchron and its affiliates’ intellectual property rights became exclusive, subject to the Company’s ownership and limited use rights in the intellectual property and any improvements made thereon. As a result of the Intellectual Property Rights Agreement, we may be forced to enforce or defend our intellectual property rights against infringement and unauthorized use, and to protect our trade secrets. Further, by granting a license to use our intellectual property, we may be limited in our ability to protect our intellectual property rights by legal recourse or otherwise. In defending our intellectual property rights, we may place our intellectual property at risk of being invalidated, held unenforceable, narrowed in scope, or otherwise limited, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. Our inability to preserve or maintain an interest in certain intellectual property rights could adversely impact our competitive position or results of operations.

We have suspended our federal and state licensing, permitting progression for our Bear Lodge REE Project, and there is a risk to the resumption of those efforts in a timely and cost-effective manner.

During the first quarter of 2016, we placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all licensing and permitting activities were suspended, including the environmental impact statement (“EIS”) process, state permitting, and the NRC licensing process. The Company continued the 2016 implemented cost-conservation measures through 2022. Given the completion of the transactions with Synchron on October 2, 2017 and October 16, 2019 (as discussed in “Item 7 Management Discussion and Analysis, Financial Liquidity and Capital Resources”), the Company is focused on continuing the confirmation and enhancement of our proprietary technology for rare earth processing and separation through the Demonstration Plant. The Company will also continue with certain limited exploration-related reclamation activities in 2023 as required and appropriate. However, our ability to obtain further financing to fund the completion of the Bear Lodge REE Project licensing and permitting once resumed is uncertain. If we are unable to timely progress our licensing and permitting while the information is still deemed adequate by the applicable regulatory agencies, we may have to restart these processes, or take extra steps to ameliorate or reinitiate the processes, which would impact the cost and timing of licensing and permitting.

Our ability and timing to exercise our right to purchase certain non-mineral lands for stockpile storage and processing operations is uncertain.

Our current plan of operations for the Bear Lodge REE Project includes a waste rock storage site located on private property adjacent to the planned mine. This private property consists of 640 acres and was sold to a third party on October 26, 2016. Although we hold a repurchase option on the property until October 2024 (subject to our payment of annual option extension fees), our ability and the timing of our exercise of the repurchase option is uncertain. If we were unable to repurchase the property, we would have to update our planned operations to identify an alternative waste rock storage area. Additionally, we hold a land purchase option on private property located in Upton, Wyoming, which is the location for our planned processing operations. If we are unable to maintain the purchase option, which is renewed annually in October each year, we would have to locate and secure another site as a suitable rare earth processing location.

We have no history of producing mineral products from our properties.

We have no history of mining, recovering, or refining any mineral products, and our Bear Lodge REE Project is not in development or production. There can be no assurance that the Bear Lodge REE Project will be successfully developed and placed into production, produce minerals in commercial quantities or otherwise generate operating earnings. Advancing properties from the exploration stage into development and commercial production requires significant capital and time and will be subject to further feasibility studies, permitting and licensing requirements and construction of the mine, processing plants, roads and related works and infrastructure. We will continue to incur losses until such time, if ever, when our mining activities successfully reach commercial production levels and generate sufficient revenue to fund continuing operations. There is no certainty that we will produce revenue from any source, operate profitably, or provide a return on investment in the future. If we are unable to generate revenues or profits, our shareholders might not be able to realize returns on their investment in our common shares.

The planned development of our Bear Lodge REE Project involves numerous uncertainties that could affect the feasibility or profitability of the project.

Mine development projects typically require a number of years and significant expenditures during the exploration and development phases before production is possible. The economic feasibility of exploration and development projects is based on many factors, such as the following:

• completion of feasibility studies to evaluate mineral resources and mineral reserves and commercial viability;
• the timing and cost, which can be considerable, of further exploration, licensing, permitting and construction of infrastructure, mining, processing and/or beneficiation facilities;
• our ability to utilize our proprietary process technologies, which could encounter problems or unexpected costs in scale-up;
• securing commercially viable sales outlets for our REE products;
• the potential need to enter into joint venture or other partnership arrangements to develop the Projects;
• the availability and costs of equipment and skilled labor, as required;
• the availability and cost of appropriate processing and/or refining arrangements, if required;
• compliance with environmental and other governmental approval and permit requirements;
• the availability of funds to finance exploration, development, and construction activities, as warranted;
• future prices for rare earth minerals;
• potential opposition from non-governmental organizations, environmental, indigenous, or local groups or inhabitants that may delay or prevent development activities;
• potential increases in exploration, construction, and operating costs due to changes in the cost of fuel, power, materials, or supplies;
• potential shortages of mineral processing and/or beneficiation, construction or other facilities-related equipment or supplies; and
• the ability to attract and retain talent for development and operation of the Projects.

It is common in exploration programs and in development, construction, and mine start-ups to experience unplanned problems and delays. Accordingly, our activities may not result in profitable mining operations, and we may not succeed in establishing mining operations or profitably producing minerals from our Projects at all or in a reasonable timeframe.

Joint ventures and other partnerships may expose us to risks.

We will require additional capital through investment, joint ventures and/or other partnership arrangements with current investors or other parties for the development of our Projects. Although such arrangements may lessen our financial burden in exploring and developing the Projects, they will likely also dilute our interest therein or affect our ability to control development of any of the Projects. Our ability to attract additional capital may be impeded by our majority shareholder Synchron, as it holds certain contractual approval rights, and its approval may be required. In addition, Synchron has significant influence on our major corporate decisions and matters requiring shareholder approval. Any failure of a joint venture partner or other partner to meet its obligations to us or to third parties, or any disputes with respect to the parties’ respective rights and obligations, could have a material adverse effect on the joint venture or other partnership arrangement and, in turn, on our business performance and on our ability to develop the Projects.

Subject to further financing, and progression and outcome of the Demonstration Plant, we may commence a FS on our Bear Lodge REE Project, and the results of this FS are uncertain.

In October 2014, we completed a PFS for our Bear Lodge REE Project that updated our mineral resource estimate and refined plans for our process technology. Subject to further financing and the results of the Demonstration Plant, we may resume work on an FS. Whether the Company undertakes a FS in the future and, if so, the results of any such study, are uncertain and may indicate project economics that are more or less favorable than those previously reported. As our project optimization efforts continue, we cannot ensure that the FS will be based upon all of the same inputs used in the PFS. As a result, we may need to update our processing and/or beneficiation technology, and/or project development plans to enhance economics or further study aspects of the Bear Lodge REE Project. This could result in significant additional delays and expenses or could make financing efforts with respect to such efforts more difficult or not possible. In addition, there is a risk that the Company may not resume work on a FS.

Our viability as a rare earth company depends, in large part, on the financing, licensing, and permitting, development and operation of our Bear Lodge REE Project, which is our only rare earth project.

Our only rare earth project at this time is the Bear Lodge REE Project. Our continued viability is based, in large part, on successfully implementing our strategy, including completion of a FS, licensing, permitting and construction of a mine and processing and/or beneficiation facilities in a reasonable timeframe. If we are unable to secure additional capital or enter into a strategic transaction and implement our strategy, or in the event of the imposition of significant additional regulatory burdens or delays or a significant deterioration of the market for rare earth products, our ability to develop a sustainable or profitable business would be materially adversely affected. If the Bear Lodge REE Project does not proceed, then the viability of the Company may depend upon the ability to process REE from sources other than our Bear Lodge REE Project using our proprietary technology assuming the technology is successfully proven through the operation of the Demonstration Plant.

Increased costs could affect our ability to bring the Bear Lodge REE Project into production and, once in production, to be profitable.

We estimated the initial capital costs required to bring the Bear Lodge REE Project into commercial production in our historical PFS, dated October 9, 2014, at approximately $290,000. Our FS, if and when completed, could suggest that our estimated costs may be materially higher than those we previously anticipated, which could make it more difficult to finance the Bear Lodge REE Project or to successfully establish mining operations.

We anticipate that our future operating costs at the Bear Lodge REE Project will vary from year to year due to a number of factors, such as changing grade, metallurgy, and revisions to mine plans in response to the physical shape and location of the ore body. In addition, costs are affected by the price of commodities such as oil, gas, reagents/chemicals, steel, rubber, and electricity. Such commodities are at times subject to volatile price movements, including increases that could make production less profitable or not profitable at all. A material increase in costs could also impact our ability to commence or maintain future development or mining operations.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have an adverse impact on our business.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing variants, and similar public health issues in the future could have a material adverse effect on our ability to raise capital, construct or operate our Demonstration Plant, mine, or production facility, or execute our business plans. In addition, preventive measures we may voluntarily put in place may have a material adverse effect on our business for an indefinite period of time, such as decreased employee or contractor availability, unavailability of needed products or services, or disruptions to the businesses of our contracted service providers and others. Our suppliers may also face these and other challenges, which could lead to a disruption or delay in their services. The pandemic and resulting economic slowdown may also impact the supply and demand for rare earths domestically and globally. Although these disruptions may continue to occur, the long-term economic impact and near-term financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, its ongoing variants, and other possible public health threats cannot be reasonably estimated at this time due to the uncertainty of future developments.

We expect to rely on our proprietary technology and processes to further our Bear Lodge REE Project.

We rely on a combination of trade secret protection, nondisclosure agreements, trademarks, and patents to establish and protect our proprietary intellectual property rights in our rare earth technology.

As of December 31, 2022, we had filed U.S. provisional patent applications relating to processing methods, including (1) selective recovery of REEs from mixed chloride leach solutions using oxalic acid, and (2) separation of thorium from bulk REEs in a solvent extraction (“SX”) process. These provisional applications provided the basis for the current patent portfolio, which includes two issued U.S. patents and one pending U.S. divisional patent application, one pending foreign application, and fourteen issued foreign patents across thirteen separate foreign jurisdictions. The issued patents have a term of 20 years measured from the filing date of the utility patent applications. We licensed our intellectual property, including our patents and related technical information to Synchron in October 2017, which license became exclusive to Synchron and its affiliates in October 2019. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report. Several of these technologies have potential value for application in other industries, and the Company is evaluating this potential.

The success of our business depends, in part, on our ability to utilize our proprietary process technologies, and we could encounter unforeseen problems or costs, or both, in scaling up our technologies to commercial applications.

The historical mineral resource estimates for our Projects are not considered current, need to be updated, and should not be relied upon.

The historical mineral resource estimates for our Projects have not been updated and, as such, should not be relied upon as they may be updated prior to further feasibility work. Accordingly, previous mineral resource estimates from 2014 and 2011 for the Bear Lodge REE Project and the Sundance Gold Project, respectively, will require confirmation or adjustments. The Bear Lodge REE Project has been under care-and-maintenance since 2016, and the Sundance Gold Project is in the early exploration stage and has been on hold since 2014. Additionally, it is too early to estimate resources or the gold production potential of the Sundance Gold Project. We have not done sufficient work to classify the historical mineral estimates for our Projects as current estimates of mineral resources or exploration results, and we are not treating the estimates as current estimates of mineral resources of exploration results.

We depend on key personnel, and the absence of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business.

Our success is currently largely dependent on the performance, retention and abilities of our directors, President and Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and certain consultants. The loss of the services of these persons could have a material adverse effect on our business and prospects. There is no assurance that we can maintain the services of our directors, CEO, CFO, or other qualified personnel and consultants required to operate our business. Failure to do so could have a material adverse effect on us and our prospects. We do not maintain life insurance policies on our employees, directors, or consultants.

U.S. investors may not be able to enforce their civil liabilities against us or our directors, controlling persons and officers.

It may be difficult to bring and enforce suits against us. We are incorporated in the province of British Columbia, Canada under the BCBCA. Some of our directors may be residents of Canada, and a substantial portion of their assets are located outside of the U.S. As a result, it may be difficult for U.S. holders of our common shares to effect service of process on these persons within the U.S. or to recover in the U.S. on judgments rendered against them. In addition, a shareholder should not assume that the courts of Canada (i) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us or such persons predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the U.S., or (ii) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such persons predicated upon the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the U.S.

We believe that we were a “passive foreign investment company” (“PFIC”) for the year ended December 31, 2022, and could be a PFIC in subsequent years, which could have adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences for U.S. shareholders.

An investor in our common shares that is a U.S. taxpayer (referred to as a U.S. shareholder) should be aware that we believe that we were a PFIC for the year ended December 31, 2022. We also expect that we will be a PFIC for the year ending December 31, 2023, and that we may be a PFIC in subsequent years. The tests for determining PFIC status are dependent upon a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control and can be subject to uncertainties. Accordingly, we cannot provide certainty that we were or were not a PFIC for the year ended December 31, 2022, or that we will or will not be a PFIC for the year ending December 31, 2023, or for any future year. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide information regarding our status as a PFIC, and the PFIC status of any subsidiary in which the Company owns more than 50% of such subsidiary’s total aggregate voting power, to U.S. shareholders who make a written request for such information. Adverse rules apply to U.S. shareholders who own our common shares if we are a

PFIC and have a non-U.S. subsidiary that is itself a PFIC, as may be the case with our wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Holdings Ltd., a British Columbia, Canada corporation. Each U.S. shareholder should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, U.S. federal alternative minimum, U.S. federal estate and gift, and U.S. state and local tax consequences of the PFIC rules and the acquisition, ownership, and disposition of our common shares if we are or become a PFIC. For additional information regarding PFIC tax consequences, see “Part II, Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities—Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

Risks Related to the Mineral Exploration, Development and Mining Industries

We may be adversely affected by fluctuations in demand for, and prices of, rare earth products.

Because our primary focus currently is the advancement and development of a Demonstration Plant and ultimately the Bear Lodge REE Project, changes in demand for, and the market price of, REE products could significantly affect our ability to develop or finance the Bear Lodge REE Project, and eventually attain commercial production or profitability. REE product prices may fluctuate and are affected by numerous factors beyond our control such as interest rates, exchange rates, inflation or deflation, fluctuation in the relative value of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies on the world market, global and regional supply, and demand for REE products, and the political and economic conditions of countries that produce and use REEs.

Protracted periods of low prices for REE products could significantly reduce our ability to develop the Bear Lodge REE Project and, if we attain commercial production, to maintain profitable operations.

Demand for REE products is impacted by demand for downstream products incorporating rare earths, including hybrid and electric vehicles, wind power equipment and other clean technology products, as well as demand in the general automotive and electronics industries. Lack of growth in these markets could adversely affect the demand for REE products, which would have a material adverse effect on our Bear Lodge REE Project and our business. In contrast, periods of high REE prices are generally beneficial to us; however, strong REE prices, as well as real or perceived disruptions in the supply of REE, also create economic pressure to identify or create non-REE alternate technologies that ultimately could reduce future long-term demand for REE products, and at the same time, may incentivize development of otherwise marginal mining properties. For example, automobile manufacturers have announced plans to develop motors for electric and hybrid cars that do not require REE products due to concerns about the available supply of REEs. If the automobile industry or other industries reduce their reliance on rare earth products, the resulting change in demand could have a material adverse effect on our business. In particular, if prices or demand for REEs were to decline, our share price would likely decline, and this could also impair our ability to obtain the funding needed for our operations including the Demonstration Plant and the Bear Lodge REE Project, and our ability to find purchasers for our products at prices acceptable to us or at all.

An increase in the global supply of rare earth products, dumping and/or predatory pricing by our competitors may materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital, develop our Bear Lodge REE Project or operate profitably.

The pricing and demand for REE products is affected by a number of factors beyond our control, including growth of economic development and the global supply and demand for REE products. REE supply markets continue to be dominated by production from China, which produced an estimated 65% of the global REE mine production and 87% of refined product in 2022. China also dominates the manufacture of metals, NdFeB magnets and other products from REE. The threat of increased competition may lead our competitors to engage in predatory pricing behavior or manipulation of the available supply of REEs. Advanced technology in recycling REEs may also impact supply and prices. Any increase in the amount of REE products exported from other nations and increased competition may result in price reductions, reduced margins or loss of potential market share, any of which could materially adversely affect our business. As a result of these factors, we may not be able to compete effectively against our future competitors.

The success of our business may depend, in part, on the establishment of new uses and markets for rare earth products.

The success of our business may depend, in part, on the establishment of new markets by us or third parties for certain rare earth products. Although we plan to produce rare earth products for use in end-products such as NdFeB magnets, which are used in critical existing and emerging technologies (hybrid and electric vehicles, wind power turbines, oil refining catalysts and compact fluorescent lighting), the success of our business may depend on the creation of new markets in addition to the successful commercialization of REE products in existing and emerging markets. Any unexpected costs or delays in the commercialization of any of the foregoing products or applications could have a material adverse effect on our ability to develop our Bear Lodge REE Project or operate our business profitably.

We are subject to significant governmental regulations, including permitting, licensing and approval processes, that affect our operations and could impact the cost and timing of conducting our business.

Our current and future activities will be governed by laws and regulations, including the following, among others:

• laws and regulations governing mineral concession acquisition, prospecting, development, mining, processing, and production;
• laws and regulations related to exports, taxes, and fees;
• labor standards and regulations related to occupational health and mine safety;
• laws and regulations relating to environmental protection concerning, among other things, waste management, transportation, and disposal of toxic and radioactive substances, land use, water, air, and the protection of threatened and endangered species.

We believe that we hold, or are in the process of obtaining, all licenses and permits necessary to carry on the activities that we currently are conducting or propose to conduct in the near term under applicable laws and regulations. Such licenses and permits are subject to changes in regulations and changes in various operating circumstances. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to obtain all necessary licenses and permits that may be required to maintain the current or planned exploration, development and mining activities, including constructing mines and/or processing and/or beneficiation facilities, and commencing operations at the Bear Lodge REE Project. In addition, if we proceed to production on the Bear Lodge REE Project, we will be required to obtain and comply with permits and licenses that may contain specific operating or other conditions. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain such permits and licenses or that we will be able to comply with any such conditions. Our Sundance Gold Project, previously in the exploration stage, but on hold since 2014, does not have any of the permits or licenses that would be necessary to carry on further activities on the project. Costs related to applying for and obtaining permits and licenses may be prohibitive and could delay planned exploration and development activities. Failure to comply with applicable laws, regulations and permitting and licensing requirements may result in enforcement actions, including orders issued by regulatory or judicial authorities causing operations to cease or be curtailed, and may include corrective measures requiring capital expenditures, installation of additional equipment or remedial actions.

Parties engaged in mining operations may be required to compensate those suffering loss or damage relating to mining activities and may be subject to civil or criminal liability, fines or penalties imposed for violations of applicable laws or regulations. Amendments to current laws, regulations and permits governing operations and activities of mining companies, or more stringent implementation thereof, could have a material adverse impact on our operations, cause increases in capital expenditures or production costs, or require abandonment or delays in the exploration or the development of either of the Projects.

Our activities are subject to environmental risks and compliance with environmental laws and regulations that are increasing and costly.

Our business is subject to environmental regulation in the jurisdictions in which we operate. Environmental laws and regulations at the local, state, and federal level could evolve in a manner that may impose stricter standards and enforcement, increased fines and penalties for non-compliance, more stringent environmental assessments of proposed projects, and a heightened degree of responsibility for companies and their officers, directors, and employees. These laws address emissions into the air, discharges into water, management of waste and hazardous substances, protection of natural resources, antiquities, endangered species, and reclamation of lands disturbed by mining operations. Compliance with environmental laws and regulations at the local, state, and federal level and future changes in these laws and regulations may require significant capital outlays and may cause material changes or delays in our current and planned operations and future activities. It is possible that future changes in these laws or regulations could have a significant adverse impact on our Projects or some portion of our business, causing us to reevaluate those activities at that time.

Examples of some of the current U.S. federal laws that may affect our business and planned operations include, but are not limited to, the following:

• NEPA requires federal agencies to integrate environmental considerations into their decision-making processes by evaluating the environmental impacts of proposed actions, including issuance of permits to mining facilities, and assessing alternatives to those actions. Under NEPA, a federal agency must prepare an EIS detailing the environmental impacts of “major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment.” The EPA will, and other federal agencies and any interested third parties can, review and comment on the scope of an EIS and the adequacy of and findings set forth in a draft and final EIS.
• As required, we began in 2012 to undertake the NEPA process for the Bear Lodge REE Project. However, we have since placed the Bear Lodge REE Project under care-and-maintenance, and all permitting and licensing activities have been suspended, including the EIS process. The NEPA process can cause delays in issuance of required permits or result in changes to a project to mitigate potential environmental impacts, which in turn can impact the economic feasibility of a proposed project, including the ability to construct or operate the Bear Lodge REE Project or other projects entirely.
• The NRC, pursuant to its authority under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended (the “Atomic Energy Act”), oversees the regulatory framework governing the control of radioactive materials, including processing and/or beneficiation of REE that contain radioactive source materials such as uranium and thorium. The NRC is responsible for issuing licenses for source material involving concentrations of uranium or thorium that exceed 0.05% by weight. If a proposed action, including waste generation, results in materials with concentrations of uranium and thorium that equal or exceed 0.05% by weight, a license to receive title to, possess, use, transfer, or deliver source and byproduct materials may be required. As our operations are expected to exceed this concentration, we are required to follow the regulations pertaining to a license application for the demonstration project and the Bear Lodge REE Project. The licensing process, including NEPA review relating to the NRC licensing, may cause delays or result in changes to the Demonstration Plant and/or the Bear Lodge REE Project design to mitigate impacts as required under the license.
• Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended (“CERCLA”) and similar state laws, responsibility for the entire cost of cleanup of a contaminated site, as well as natural resource damages, can be imposed upon current or former site owners or operators, or upon any party who released one or more designated “hazardous substances” at the site, regardless of the lawfulness of the original activities that led to the contamination. CERCLA also authorizes the EPA and, in some cases, third parties to take actions in response to threats to public health or the environment and to seek to recover from the potentially responsible parties the costs of such actions. We may also be an owner or operator of facilities at which hazardous substances have been released by previous owners or operators. We may be responsible under CERCLA for all or part of the costs of cleaning up facilities at which such substances have been released and for natural resource damages. We have not, to our knowledge, been identified as a potentially responsible party under CERCLA, nor are we aware of any prior owners or operators of our properties that have been so identified with respect to their ownership or operation of those properties.
• The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended (“RCRA”), and comparable state statutes, regulate the generation, transportation, treatment, storage, and disposal of “solid” and “hazardous” waste and authorize the imposition of substantial fines and penalties for noncompliance, as well as requirements for corrective actions. Although certain mining, mineral processing and/or beneficiation wastes currently are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes under RCRA, the EPA has limited the disposal options for certain wastes designated as hazardous wastes under RCRA. It is possible that certain wastes generated by our potential future operations that currently are exempt from regulation as hazardous wastes may in the future be designated as hazardous wastes and may therefore become subject to more rigorous and costly management, disposal, and clean-up requirements.
• The Clean Air Act, as amended (“CAA”), and comparable state statutes, restricts the emission of air pollutants from many stationary and mobile sources, including mining, processing and/or beneficiation activities. Our

planned mining operations may produce air emissions, including fugitive dust and other air pollutants, from stationary equipment, storage facilities, and the use of mobile sources such as trucks and heavy construction equipment that are subject to review, monitoring, control requirements and emission limits under the CAA and state air quality laws. New facilities may be required to obtain permits before work can begin, and existing facilities may be required to incur capital costs to remain in compliance. In addition, permitting and licensing rules and issued permits may impose limitations on production levels or result in additional capital expenditures to comply with such rules or permits. In certain circumstances, private citizens may also sue sources of pollutants for alleged violations of the CAA.

• The Clean Water Act, as amended (“CWA”), and comparable state statutes impose restrictions and controls on the discharge of pollutants into waters of the U.S. The discharge of pollutants into regulated waters is prohibited, except in accordance with the terms of a permit issued by the EPA or an analogous state agency. These controls generally have become more stringent over time, and it is possible that additional restrictions will be imposed in the future. Violation of the CWA and similar state regulatory programs can result in civil, criminal, and administrative penalties for unauthorized discharges of hazardous substances and other pollutants. They also can impose substantial liability for the costs of removal or remediation associated with such discharges. The CWA also requires a discharge permit for certain activities and requires the implementation of a Pollution Prevention Plan establishing best management practices, training, periodic monitoring of covered activities, and monitoring and sampling of stormwater run-off. The CWA and regulations implemented thereunder also prohibit discharges of dredged and fill material in wetlands and other waters of the U.S. unless authorized by a permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
• The Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended (“SDWA”), and the Underground Injection Control (“UIC”) program promulgated thereunder regulate the drilling and operation of subsurface injection wells. The program requires that a permit be obtained before drilling a disposal well. The EPA directly administers the UIC program in some states, and in others the responsibility for certain aspects of the program has been delegated to the state. Violation of these regulations and/or contamination of groundwater by mining related activities may result in fines, penalties, and/or remediation costs, among other sanctions and liabilities under the SDWA and state laws.
• The Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) regulates activities that could have an adverse effect on threatened and endangered species, including the habitat and ecosystems upon which they depend. The ESA protects threatened and endangered species primarily by prohibiting the unauthorized “taking” of listed species, which includes harassing or harming members of such species or significantly modifying their habitat. The ESA also requires consultation with other agencies in certain circumstances. Compliance with ESA requirements can significantly delay, limit, or even prevent the development of projects, including the development of mining claims, and can also result in increased development costs. In addition, the ESA authorized both civil and criminal penalties for ESA violations and authorizes citizen suits against any person alleged to be in violation of the ESA.

Regulations and pending legislation governing issues involving climate change could result in increased operating costs that could have a material adverse effect on our business.

A number of governments or governmental bodies have adopted or are contemplating regulatory changes in response to the potential impact of climate change. In the U.S., on December 15, 2009, the EPA published its findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment because emissions of such gases are, according to the EPA, contributing to the warming of the earth’s atmosphere and other climate changes. Based on these findings, the EPA has developed and implemented regulations that restrict GHG emissions under existing provisions of the CAA, including one rule that limits GHG emissions from motor vehicles beginning with the 2012 model year. The EPA has asserted that these final motor vehicle GHG emission standards trigger the CAA construction and operating permit requirements for stationary sources, commencing when the motor vehicle standards took effect on January 2, 2011. On June 3, 2010, the EPA published its final rule to address the permitting of GHG emissions from stationary sources under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (“PSD”) and Title V permitting programs. This rule “tailored” these permitting programs to apply to certain stationary sources of GHG emissions in a multi-step process, with the largest sources first subject to permitting. However, based on a decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, only facilities already required to obtain PSD permits for other criteria pollutants must also reduce GHG emissions that exceed certain thresholds consistent with guidance for determining “best available control technology” standards for GHG, which guidance was published by the EPA in November 2010.

In addition, both houses of Congress have considered legislation to reduce GHG emissions and many states have already taken legal measures to reduce GHG emissions, primarily through the development of GHG inventories, GHG permitting and/or regional GHG “cap and trade” programs. Most of these “cap and trade” programs work by requiring major sources of emissions to acquire and surrender emission allowances, with the number of allowances available for purchase reduced each year until the overall GHG emission-reduction goal is achieved. The new U.S. presidential administration has made climate change legislation and regulation a priority, which increases the likelihood of increased regulation of GHG emissions.

Although the U.S. had withdrawn from the Paris Agreement, the U.S. formally rejoined the Paris Agreement in February 2021, and, in April 2021, the Biden administration set an economy-wide target of reducing its net greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels in 2030. With the U.S. recommitting to the Paris Agreement, additional executive orders may be issued, or federal legislation or regulatory initiatives may be adopted to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals.

Legislation and increased regulation regarding climate change could impose significant costs on us and/or our suppliers, including costs related to increased energy requirements, capital equipment, environmental monitoring, and reporting and/or other costs to comply with such regulations. Any adopted future climate change regulations could also negatively impact our ability to compete with companies situated in areas not subject to such regulations. Alternatively, climate change legislation could potentially benefit our business by driving demand for products utilizing rare earth containing products. We cannot predict how legislation and regulation will affect our financial condition, operating performance, or ability to compete.

Even without such regulation, increased awareness, or any adverse publicity in the global marketplace about the rare earth industry’s potential impacts on the environment could harm our reputation and business.

The potential physical impacts of climate change on our operations are highly uncertain and would be particular to the geographic circumstances in areas in which we operate. These may include changes in precipitation, storm patterns and intensities, water shortages and changing temperatures. These factors may have an adverse impact on the cost, production, or financial performance of our operations.

A shortage of equipment and supplies could adversely affect our ability to operate our business.

We currently do and likely will depend on various supplies and equipment to carry out our activities, including those for the Demonstration Plant, and, if warranted, future exploration, development, mining, and processing operations. A shortage of such supplies, equipment or parts could have a material adverse effect on our ability to carry out our planned activities or increase our operating costs and expenses.

Mineral exploration and development and mining are potentially hazardous and subject to conditions or events beyond our control, which could have a material adverse effect on our business or plans.

Mineral exploration, development and mining involve various types of risks and hazards, including, but not limited to the following:

• environmental hazards;
• power outages;
• metallurgical and other processing problems;
• unusual or unexpected geological formations or conditions;
• personal injury, flooding, fire, explosions, cave-ins, earthquakes, landslides, and rock-bursts;
• mineral exploration, transportation, or mining accidents;
• concentrate losses;
• fluctuations in exploration, development, and production costs;
• labor disputes;
• supply interruptions;
• unanticipated variations in grade;
• mechanical equipment failure;
• periodic interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather conditions; and
• regulatory delays, curtailments, or shutdowns.

These risks could result in damage to, or destruction of, mineral properties, production equipment, facilities or other properties, personal injury, environmental damage, delays in mining, increased production costs, monetary losses, or possible legal liability. We may not be able to obtain insurance to cover these risks at economically feasible premiums or at all. Insurance against certain environmental risks, including potential liability for pollution or other hazards resulting from the disposal of waste products from production, may be prohibitively expensive or not available. Any losses we incur related to any significant events that are not covered by insurance policies may have a material adverse effect on our business.

Mineral exploration and development is highly speculative, and certain inherent risks could have a negative effect on our business.

Our long-term success depends primarily on our ability to develop mineral deposits on existing properties that can be developed into commercially viable mining operations. Resource exploration is a highly speculative business, characterized by a number of significant risks, including, among other things, unprofitable efforts resulting not only from the failure to discover mineral deposits but from finding mineral deposits which, though present, are insufficient in quantity and quality to return a profit from production. Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable mineral reserves through drilling and analysis, to develop metallurgical processes to extract metal, and to develop the mining, processing and/or beneficiation facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. The marketability of minerals discovered by us may be affected by numerous factors that are beyond our control and cannot be accurately predicted, such as market pricing fluctuations, the proximity and capacity of milling facilities, mineral markets demand, available supply and processing equipment, and other factors such as government regulations, including regulations relating to royalties, allowable production, importing and exporting of minerals, and environmental protection. Any one or a combination of these factors may result in a failure to receive an adequate return on our investment capital. The decision to abandon a project may have a material adverse effect on the market value of our common shares or our ability to complete future financings.

Title to our Bear Lodge Property may be subject to other claims, or we may lose our interest in our claims, which could affect our property rights and claims.

There are risks that title to our Bear Lodge Property may be challenged or impugned. Our Bear Lodge Property is located in the state of Wyoming and may be subject to prior unrecorded agreements, transfers or native land claims, and title may be affected by undetected defects. There may be valid challenges to the title of our Bear Lodge Property which, if successful, could impair or result in the cessation of development and/or operations.

The vast majority of the mineral rights to our Bear Lodge Property consist of “unpatented” mining claims created and maintained in accordance with the U.S. General Mining Act of 1872 (“U.S. General Mining Law”). Unpatented mining claims are unique property interests and are generally considered to be subject to greater title risk than are other real property interests because the validity of unpatented mining claims can be uncertain. This uncertainty arises, in part, out of the complex federal and state laws and regulations an owner of an unpatented mining claim must comply with to locate and maintain a valid claim. Also, unpatented mining claims are always subject to possible challenges by third parties or validity contests by the federal government. The validity of an unpatented mining claim, in terms of both its location and its maintenance, is dependent on strict compliance with not only a complex body of U.S. federal and state statutory law, but also administrative and judicial decisions interpreting those statutes and case law. In addition, there may be limitations as to the completeness of public records that determine prior claimants that could impact the validity or ownership of unpatented mining claims. The Company’s right to continue activities on the Bear Lodge Property is dependent upon our ability to pay annual claim maintenance fees.

Our operations are subject to significant uninsured risks that could negatively impact future profitability as we maintain limited insurance against our operations.

Any exploration of our Bear Lodge Property will entail certain risks including unexpected or unusual operating conditions, such as rockslides, cave-ins, flooding, fire, and earthquakes. It is not always possible to insure against these risks. Should events such as these arise, they could reduce or eliminate our assets and shareholder equity as well as result in increased costs and/or a decline in the value of our assets or common shares. We expect to maintain general liability, director and officer insurance, and some insurance against our assets but not with the expectation of full replacement value. We may decide to update or amend our insurance portfolio in the future if coverage is available at economically viable rates.

Increased competition could adversely affect our ability to attract necessary capital funding.

The mining industry is intensely competitive, and we must compete with other individuals and companies, many of which have greater financial resources, operational experience, and technical capabilities than we have. This competition from other mining companies could adversely impact our efforts to hire experienced mining professionals. Competition for resources at all levels can be very intense, particularly affecting the availability of manpower, drill rigs, mining equipment and production equipment. Increased competition could adversely affect our ability to attract necessary capital funding or attract or retain key personnel or outside technical resources.

Land reclamation requirements for our properties may be burdensome or expensive.

Although land reclamation requirements vary depending on the location and governing authority, such requirements generally are imposed on mineral exploration companies as well as companies with mining and processing operations to minimize long-term effects of land disturbance.

Reclamation requirements may include the following, among other things:

• control dispersion of potentially deleterious effluents;
• manage and control mine tailings and other processing wastes;
• reduce open pit mine slope angles;
• treat ground and surface water to drinking water standards; and
• reasonably re-establish pre-disturbance vegetation and land forms.

To carry out reclamation obligations imposed on us in connection with the potential future development activities at the Demonstration Plant and the Bear Lodge Property, we must allocate financial resources that might otherwise be spent on further exploration and future development programs. We have set up a provision for reclamation obligations as currently anticipated for exploration completed on the Bear Lodge Property, as appropriate, but this provision may not be adequate. If we are required to carry out unanticipated reclamation work, our financial position could be adversely affected.

Legislation and regulations have been proposed that would significantly affect the mining industry and our business.

The U.S. Congress from time to time has considered proposed revisions to the U.S. General Mining Law. If Congress again considers and enacts any such revisions, such legislation could change the cost of holding unpatented mining claims or significantly impact our ability to develop mineralized resources on unpatented mining claims. Changes in the U.S. presidential administration or changes in the composition of Congress from time to time may increase the likelihood that Congress considers such revisions at some point. Past bills have proposed, among other things, to (i) impose a federal royalty on production from unpatented mining claims, (ii) impose a fee on the amount of material displaced at a mine, (iii) impose time limits on the effectiveness of plans of operation that may not coincide with mine life, (iv) impose more stringent environmental compliance and reclamation requirements on activities on unpatented mining claims, (v) establish a mechanism that would allow states, localities and Native American tribes to petition for the withdrawal of identified tracts of federal land from the operation of the U.S. General Mining Law, (vi) replace the location of mining claims with federal leases for locatable minerals, and (vii) allow for administrative determinations that mining would not be allowed where undue degradation of the federal lands in question could not be prevented. Although we cannot predict what legislated royalties might be, the enactment of a federal royalty or other provisions contained in any such proposed bills could adversely affect the potential for development of our unpatented mining claims, our ability to operate, or our financial performance. The effect of any proposed revision of the U.S. General Mining Law on operations cannot be determined until enactment. However, it is possible that revisions would materially increase the carrying and operating costs of mineral properties located on federal unpatented mining claims.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

We may elect to deregister our common shares under the Exchange Act. Deregistration would result in less disclosure about us and may negatively affect the liquidity and trading prices of our common shares.

Due to the relatively high cost of being a public company in the U.S., our Board of Directors may elect to voluntarily deregister our common shares under the Exchange Act and suspend our reporting obligations in the U.S., possibly in combination with an effort to list our common shares on another securities exchange. No Board approval of deregistration has taken place, but in the future, the Board may authorize the Company to file with the SEC a Form 15 to voluntarily deregister our common shares under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and suspend our reporting obligations under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act. If the Board approves such deregistration, we would file a Form 15 and our obligations to file periodic reports, such as annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, would be suspended immediately upon the filing of the Form 15 with the SEC, and our proxy statement, Section 16 and other Section 12(g) reporting responsibilities would terminate effective 90 days after the filing of the Form 15. We believe that we are eligible to deregister under the Exchange Act. If we were to file a Form 15, we expect that our common shares, which currently trade on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace, would not continue to be quoted on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace. Following any deregistration, we would not expect to publish periodic financial information or furnish such information to our shareholders except as may be required by applicable laws or stock exchange rules. As a result of the foregoing factors, deregistration may result in less disclosure about us and may negatively affect the liquidity and trading prices of our common shares.

We do not currently intend to pay cash dividends.

We have not declared any dividends since our incorporation and do not anticipate that we will do so in the foreseeable future. Our present policy is to retain all available funds for use in our business development and operations. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of the Board of Directors and will depend on our financial condition, results of operations, contractual restrictions, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors that the Board of Directors considers relevant. In the absence of dividends, investors will only see a return on their investment if the value of our common shares appreciates.

Future sales of our securities in the public or private markets could adversely affect the trading price of our common shares or our ability to continue to raise funds in new equity offerings.

It is possible that we will sell common shares, or securities exercisable or convertible into common shares, in order to finance our planned development activities. Future sales of substantial amounts of our securities in the public or private markets would dilute our existing shareholders and potentially adversely affect the trading prices of our common shares or could impair our ability to raise capital through future offerings of securities. Alternatively, we may rely on debt financing and assume debt obligations that require us to make substantial interest and principal payments that could adversely affect our business or future growth potential.

Price volatility of our publicly traded securities could adversely affect investors’ portfolios.

In recent years and months, the securities markets in the U.S. and Canada have experienced high levels of price and volume volatility, and the market prices of securities of many companies have experienced wide fluctuations that have not necessarily been related to the operating performance, underlying asset values or prospects of such companies. There can be no assurance that continual fluctuations in the market price of our common shares will not occur. It may be anticipated that any quoted market for the common shares will be subject to market trends and conditions generally, notwithstanding any potential success we have in creating revenues, cash flows or earnings. The price of our common shares has been subject to price and volume volatility in the past and will likely continue to be subject to such volatility in the future.

Because our common shares are not listed on a national securities exchange, a broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade our common shares, and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of our common shares in the secondary market.

We are subject to the so-called “penny stock” rules. The SEC has adopted regulations that define a “penny stock” to be any equity security that has a market price per share of less than $5.00, subject to certain exceptions, such as any securities listed on a national securities exchange. For any transaction involving a “penny stock,” unless exempt, the rules impose additional sales practice requirements on broker-dealers, subject to certain exceptions. A broker-dealer may find it more difficult to trade, and an investor may find it more difficult to acquire or dispose of, our common shares on the OTCQB Venture Marketplace. These factors could significantly negatively affect the market price of our common shares and our ability to raise capital.

General Risk Factors

Market factors outside of our control could have significant adverse impacts on our business, operations and/or prospects.

Operating in the volatile and cyclical natural resource industry subjects us to numerous market factors outside of our control that could have significant and sometimes adverse impacts on our business. Such factors could include significant price declines for key rare earth materials, inflationary impacts on capital and operating costs, public opposition, poor financial and operating performance of other companies in the same industry sector, environmental incidents from resource projects, major technological advances that reduce demand for key rare earth products, unforeseen regulation, military conflict, such as the Russia/Ukraine war, terrorism, banking institution stability, or other geopolitical events that broadly impact the global or domestic economy or natural resource industry. To the extent that such events affect attitudes toward investments in the natural resource sector generally or the rare earths industry specifically, or impact the overall economic climate, could affect our ability to raise the additional capital needed to continue to advance our Projects and business plan.

Our directors, officers and consultants may be engaged in other businesses. Potential conflicts of interest or other obligations of directors, officers and consultants could interfere with corporate operations.

Some of our directors, officers and consultants may be engaged in additional businesses, or situations may arise where our directors, officers and consultants could be in direct competition with us. Conflicts, if any, will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant provisions of applicable policies, regulations, and legislation. Some of our directors and officers are or may become directors or officers of other entities engaged in other business ventures. As a result of their other business endeavors, our directors, officers, and consultants may not be able to devote sufficient time to our business affairs, which may negatively affect our ability to conduct ongoing operations or to generate revenues.

We are subject to the risk of litigation, the causes and costs of which are not always known.

We are subject to litigation arising in the normal course of business and may be involved in disputes that may result in litigation. Although we are not aware of any material pending or threatened litigation or of any legal proceedings known to be contemplated which are, or would be, likely to have a material adverse effect upon us or our operations, taken as a whole, the causes of potential future litigation cannot be known and may arise from, among other things, business activities, environmental and health and safety concerns, share price volatility or failure to comply with disclosure obligations. The results of litigation cannot be predicted with certainty but could include costly damage awards or settlements, fines, and the loss of licenses, concessions, or rights, among other things. If we are unable to resolve a dispute favorably, either by judicial determination or settlement, it may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, cash flows or results of operations.

We depend upon information technology systems, which are subject to disruption, damage, or failure and have risks associated with implementation and integration.

We depend upon information technology systems in the conduct of our operations. Our information technology systems are subject to disruption, damage, or failure from a variety of sources, including, without limitation, computer viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks, natural disasters, and defects in design. Cybersecurity incidents, in particular, are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information or the corruption of data. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to information technology systems and network disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, we could potentially be subject to downtimes, operational delays, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations.

BEAR LODGE PROPERTY

The Bear Lodge Property contains two projects, the Bear Lodge REE Project and the Sundance Gold Project. The Bear Lodge REE Project consists of the Bull Hill mineral district, inclusive of the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits and the exploration targets of East Taylor and Carbon, all of which are located near Sundance, Wyoming (together the “Bull Hill District”). The Bear Lodge REE Project also includes the proposed hydrometallurgical plant site to be located on private property in Upton, Wyoming that we currently have an option to purchase. Additional details on each of these areas are set forth below under the heading “Bear Lodge REE Project.” We hold our interest in the Bear Lodge Property through our indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Rare Element Resources, Inc., a Wyoming corporation.

The Bear Lodge Project is located seven air miles (11 kilometers) or 12 road miles (19 kilometers) northwest of the town of Sundance, Wyoming, which is on U.S. Interstate Highway 90, and 22 air miles (35 kilometers) west of the South Dakota state line. The Bear Lodge Property is accessible by paved and well-maintained gravel roads. The Bear Lodge Property lies within the Black Hills National Forest along the crest of the northern part of the Bear Lodge Mountains, a narrow northwest-trending range. Physiographically, it is the northwest extension of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and is characterized by rolling grass and pine-covered mountains that reach elevations of 1,950 meters within the Bear Lodge Property. The mountains have moderate slopes covered by western yellow pine forest interspersed with dense thickets of brush. Narrow grassy meadows cover the upper reaches of seasonal drainages. The lowest point within the Bear Lodge Property is about 1,768 meters in elevation. The climate during the summer is warm and relatively dry, followed by cold winters with variable amounts of snow.

We control 100% of the mineral rights at the Bear Lodge Property, consisting of unpatented mining claims and a right of repurchase on adjacent private land. We hold 499 unpatented mining claims located on land administered by the USFS. The Bear Lodge Property is located within parts of Sections 5, 7 through 9, Sections 14 through 23 and Sections 26 through 35 in Township 52 North and Range 63 West, Sixth Principal Meridian, Crook County, Wyoming. All of the public property mining claims are unpatented, such that the paramount title to the land is held by the U.S. All of the mineral resources identified in the Company’s historical technical report are located on mining claims that we hold.

On October 25, 2021, the Company and Whitelaw Creek LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company (“Whitelaw Creek”), entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the asset purchase agreement dated October 20, 2016 between the Company and Whitelaw Creek (the “APA”). The Amendment modified certain provisions of the APA related to the terms and conditions of the Company’s option to repurchase (the “Repurchase Option”) approximately 640 acres of non-core real property located in Crook County, Wyoming, that is under consideration for a stockpile facility for the Bear Lodge

REE Project. Pursuant to and subject to the terms of the Amendment, among other things, the term of the Repurchase Option (which was to expire on October 26, 2021) was extended for up to three additional years, subject to annual option extension payments from the Company to Whitelaw Creek of $25 in cash per year (each, a “Repurchase Option Extension Payment”); and the exercise price of the Repurchase Option was increased from $1,000 to a price to be determined by a mutually agreed upon real estate appraiser (the “Repurchase Price”), provided that (i) the Repurchase Price must not be less than $1,200 or greater than $1,850 and (ii) any Repurchase Option Extension Payments paid by the Company to Whitelaw Creek must be credited toward the Company’s payment of the Repurchase Price if the Repurchase Option is later exercised. In October 2022, the Company made the $25 Repurchase Option Extension Payment to Whitelaw Creek to extend the term of the Repurchase Option through October 26, 2023.

Our 100% interest in the 499 unpatented mining claims was, in part, acquired from Phelps Dodge Exploration Company (now a subsidiary of Freeport-McMoRan Copper and Gold Inc. (“Freeport”)) by way of a Mineral Lease and Option for Deed in 2000, and 404 claims were transferred from Newmont Mining Corporation (“Newmont”) to us in May 2010.

Some of our mining claims and a portion of a defined area of influence surrounding the claims were previously subject to a production royalty of 2% of net smelter returns (“NSR”) royalty payable to Freeport, but the Company purchased the NSR royalty in March 2009. We hold an unencumbered REE project, including all 499 unpatented mining claims, free of third-party royalties for REE production.

In order to maintain all claims in good standing, the Company is responsible for the payment of annual federal claim maintenance fees (currently $0.155/claim) and the recording of the annual claim maintenance and intent to hold notice with Crook County, Wyoming. All 499 unpatented claims included in the project are located on both federal and private lands and are subject to annual maintenance fees payable to the United States Bureau of Land Management. Mineral rights on the mining claims and the approximately 640-acre private parcel under the Repurchase Option provide the Company mineral and surface rights to explore, develop, and mine the Bear Lodge property, subject to the prior procurement of required operating permits and approvals, and compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and ordinances.

Exploration has been conducted on the Bear Lodge Property since 1949. In addition to Freeport, several mining companies have conducted exploration and drilling programs at or near the Bear Lodge Property since the discovery of mineralization. No mining operations were conducted at the Bear Lodge Property by any of the prior owners.

Motels, restaurants, gas stations, and other services are available at Sundance, Upton, and other nearby towns, and a greater variety of accommodations are available to the east in Spearfish, South Dakota. All necessary infrastructure, such as housing, food, fuel, etc. would be available in these towns, or further to the west in Gillette and southeast in Newcastle. Water rights at the mine site are available through permitting by the Wyoming State Engineer’s Office. Near the mine site, a power line, which requires upgrading, runs to within a mile of the Bear Lodge Property. Economical electrical power would be supplied by the Powder River Energy Corporation.

Supplies can be trucked to the Bear Lodge Property 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Gillette, which is located on both U.S. Interstate Highway 90 and rail lines. A Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail transport line is also located at Moorcroft, 34 miles (54 kilometers) west of Sundance, and at Upton, 40 miles (64 kilometers) south. The Powder River Basin contains multiple coal-fired power plants, and Gillette, the largest city in the basin, would be a major logistics center for any development at the Bear Lodge Property. The current size of the mine property is sufficiently large to support a mining operation, with no foreseeable obstacles to expansion, subject to a favorable outcome regarding permitting.

We are not aware of any outstanding environmental liabilities associated with the Bear Lodge Property, except for required reclamation work associated with our exploration and drilling activities. Previous exploration activities were approved by both the USFS and the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality. We have an approved reclamation plan and have posted a surety bond to cover the required reclamation.

Additional local, state, and federal licenses and permits will be required for exploration, mining, processing and/or beneficiation operations, if we decide to proceed with further exploration or mine development and operations.

Bear Lodge Property – Location Map

Geological Setting

The Bear Lodge Mountains of northeast Wyoming are composed primarily of the upper levels of a mineralized tertiary alkaline‐igneous complex that is a component of the Black Hills Uplift of western South Dakota and northeast Wyoming. Tertiary alkaline intrusive bodies in the northern Black Hills occur along a N70-80W trending belt that extends from Bear Butte in South Dakota, through the Bear Lodge Mountains, to Devil’s Tower and Missouri Buttes in northeast Wyoming. The Bear Lodge mining district is in the Bear Lodge Mountains, near the western end of the northern Black Hills intrusive belt. The Bear Lodge Mountains expose and are underlain by multiple alkaline plugs, sills, and dikes and intruded into Precambrian basement and Paleozoic and Mesozoic sedimentary rocks approximately 38–52 million years ago. REE and gold mineralization are found in separate areas of the central crest and northern part of the Bear Lodge Mountains.

The Bear Lodge alkaline-igneous complex is a northwest-trending alkaline intrusive dome with dimensions of approximately 10 kilometers NW-SE by 6 kilometers NE-SW. The complex consists predominantly of multiple intrusions of phonolite, trachyte, and other alkaline igneous rocks, and a variety of associated breccias and diatremes.

Exploration and Drilling

The Bear Lodge Mountains were initially prospected for gold during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Rare earth mineralization was first discovered in approximately 1949. Various companies conducted sporadic exploration of the area from the 1970s through the 1990s, both for rare earths and for gold. Commencing in 2004, we initiated REE exploration activities and from 2004 through 2013, a total of more than 160,000 feet of drilling was completed in over 200 core holes. Our exploration activities between 2013 through 2015 were limited as our focus turned to development drilling at the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits. These exploration activities included geochemical, geophysical, geological, and mineralogical modeling of the district and individual deposits.

The 2013 drilling program involved infill drilling at the Whitetail Ridge deposit including 14 core holes for a total of 3,556 meters (11,697 feet). The second phase consisted of 21 core holes totaling 3,247 meters (10,650 feet) and six reverse circulation (“RC”) twin holes totaling 832 meters (2,730 feet). The RC twin holes were drilled using a center return hammer with the objective of minimizing hole erosion and obtaining assay data directly correlative to that from the adjacent core holes.

The 2014 program consisted of the excavation of a test trench along the southwestern flank of Bull Hill in August. The main mineralized zone was exposed and exploited for the collection of geological information including dike dimension and structural continuity, grade variation, ore and gangue mineralogy, pit slope stability engineering and confirmation of parameters utilized in ore resource calculations. The program netted 907 tonnes of sample materials, the bulk of which is stored for current and future metallurgical work.

The 2015 condemnation program consisted of six rotary holes, and a total of 3,000 feet was drilled in September of 2015 to complete a program that was halted by the USFS in 2012 due to an archeological discovery. The program evaluated the subsurface for carbonatite-hosted REE mineralization and followed up on gold mineralization discovered in 2010 within and adjacent to the proposed physical upgrade (“PUG”) site. Based on results from the 2015 condemnation program, the PUG area is considered void of economic mineralization.

No drilling was conducted from 2017 through the end of 2022 and no drilling is currently planned for 2023.

Bear Lodge REE Project

The Bear Lodge REE Project comprises several REE resource areas within the Bear Lodge Property. REE mineralization at the Bear Lodge Property occurs in the central lobe of the Bear Lodge Property alkaline-igneous complex. Most of the important identified REE deposits and occurrences within the Bear Lodge Property alkaline complex are contained within the Company’s block of unpatented lode mining claims. The REE deposits are located primarily in the vicinity of the Bull Hill deposit.

REE mineralized bodies occur as dikes, veins, and stockworks within the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposit areas of the Bear Lodge Property. The mineralization includes a well-defined, near-surface, oxidized FMR zone; a near-surface, oxidized, but incompletely leached, carbonatite zone (oxide-carbonate zone); a transitional or mixed zone (oxide + sulfide); and a deeper sulfide-bearing carbonatite (a high-carbonate igneous rock) zone. The oxide-carbonate and transitional zones were referred to collectively as a “transitional zone” in some prior news releases and technical reports. The mineralized zones were subsequently sub-classified, based on key characteristics of those zones. The FMR dikes and veins contain no matrix carbonates or sulfides. The sulfides are completely oxidized to hydrous iron oxides, and the non-REE bearing carbonate minerals (calcite and strontianite) show near-complete leaching from the zone, which ranges from the surface to depths of about 90–150 meters. The oxide-carbonate zone generally occurs beneath the oxide zone but approaches the surface locally in select dikes. It is characterized by the near absence of sulfides, with the residual iron oxides formed during almost complete oxidation of the former sulfide minerals, and by variable amounts of relict matrix carbonates (calcite ± strontianite) and the REE mineral, ancylite (a hydrous Strontianite-REE carbonate).

Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge Deposits

The Bull Hill deposit mineralized bodies occur as steeply dipping, FMR-carbonatite dike swarms and associated stockwork. Geological interpretation of results from the 2010–2014 drill and trench programs indicates that the Bull Hill deposit area is dominated by northwest-striking mineralized bodies in the southern two-thirds of the resource area, while the northern part of the resource area exhibits a transitional change in strike from dominantly northwesterly to almost due north. The dike swarm primarily intrudes heterolithic intrusive breccia of the Bull Hill diatreme and adjacent trachytic and phonolitic intrusive rocks. Carbonatite dikes at depth are interpreted to transition toward the surface into oxide-carbonate and FMR bodies. The mineralized structures range in size from veinlets to large dikes more than 30 meters in width. The Bull Hill deposit consists of one dominant dike set and several subsidiary dike sets in a swarm that has dimensions of more than 457 meters along strike and less than 100 meters in width. The dikes appear to pinch and swell in both strike and dip directions, and they can be traced in drill holes more than 305 meters down dip.

The Whitetail Ridge deposit occurs about 700 meters northwest of the Bull Hill deposit. The REE mineralization consists of northwest- and north-striking FMR dikes, and an FMR stockwork zone that is also elongated northeasterly, with dimensions of roughly 380 meters by 290 meters. The enveloping gravity and radiometric geophysical anomalies and coincident soil geochemical anomalies are larger and may indicate a broader distribution of REE mineralization beneath the extensive soil and colluvial cover. Drilling conducted in 2011 through 2013 indicates that much of the mineralization is confined within the volume of the Whitetail Ridge diatreme.

Other Exploration Target Areas at the Bear Lodge REE Project

Discovery of high-grade REE mineralization at the East Taylor Target Area and the Carbon Target Area expanded the area of known REE mineralization outside of the Bull Hill and Whitetail Ridge deposits. The data indicates that the Bear Lodge REE Project area covers a crudely elliptical area that extends approximately 1,750 meters northwest-southeast by 1,300 meters northeast-southwest. The Carbon exploration target area is located northwest of the Bull Hill deposit, and the East Taylor Target Area is located west of the Bull Hill deposit. Drill assay data from the East Taylor Target Area and the Carbon Target Area identify these areas as zones of HREE-enrichment relative to the Bull Hill deposit. These two exploration target areas, along with the Whitetail Ridge deposit, are peripheral to the Bull Hill deposit. The discovery of these target areas indicates good potential for additional deposits of high-grade REE in the western half of the Bear Lodge REE Project, and those deposits appear to be particularly enriched in HREE.

Historical Pre-feasibility Study

In 2013 and 2014, we worked on optimizing the Bull Hill District development plan, the mineral process methods, and the Bear Lodge REE Project economics. In 2014, a Technical Report meeting the requirements of NI 43-101 was completed and included a PFS containing an estimate of the mineralization at the Bear Lodge REE Project as well as preliminary estimates of initial and life-of mine capital costs for the potential development of the project. These estimates have not been updated since the date of that report and the assumptions contained therein need to be updated to be accurate in today’s environment.

Project Stage

The Bear Lodge Property is an exploration stage property with no proven and probable reserves. As an exploration stage property, there has been no historical production from this property.

Permitting and Licensing Progress

The USFS is the lead agency in the NEPA process to prepare an EIS on the Bear Lodge REE Project. This process is essential to securing the permits and approvals necessary to move into production. In early 2012, we submitted the plan of operations for the Bear Lodge REE Project, which the USFS accepted as complete in May 2013. The USFS selected a project manager and prime contractor for preparation of the EIS, published notice in the Federal Register and completed necessary scoping work. The USFS issued a draft EIS on January 15, 2016, outlining plan alternatives and proffering a preferred alternative. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the appropriate state and local government agencies were involved in the EIS process as cooperating agencies. On January 22, 2016, our Board of Directors decided to conserve cash due to the then difficult market conditions and suspended all permitting and licensing efforts, including the EIS process. We notified the USFS and cooperating agencies, the NRC, and the state of Wyoming of our decision to suspend permitting and licensing efforts, and the parties acknowledged receipt of the notice. During 2022, the Company undertook environmental sampling to update the baseline environmental data for the Bear Lodge REE Project. Assuming permitting and licensing efforts resume within a reasonable time, the final EIS and draft Record of Decision, the decision document that establishes the acceptable operating conditions, would be expected within 18 to 30 months of the resumption of such permitting and licensing efforts.

Metallurgy and Mineralization

A planned PUG plant, to be located within the Bear Lodge REE Project area, was designed to maximize concentration of the rare earth minerals, and produce a mineral concentrate using a crushing, screening, and gravity separation process depending on the material type. The PUG process was designed to concentrate the rare earth-bearing fines and reduce the physical mass. There are areas of the historical mineable pit that contain variable amounts of weathered oxide material or oxide-carbonate Mineralized Material, and that contain variable grades of stockwork mineralization adjacent to the higher-grade material. Each of these material types was projected to have a different upgrade percentage and mass reduction in the PUG circuit. The historical mining plan anticipated exploitation of a distinct high-grade zone early in the Bear Lodge REE Project that was planned to allow for preferential mining in the initial years of the mine. Low and mid-grade material were also to be mined and stockpiled for future PUG processing.

Reclamation of mining-related facilities was planned to occur during mine operations, where applicable, and upon completion of mining and stockpiling of materials. Other facilities, including the PUG plant, would be reclaimed as soon as the stockpiled materials are depleted.

The Company had historically conducted metallurgical test work primarily at SGS Lakefield Research Limited of Lakefield, Ontario, Canada, which is independent from the Company. Through that work, the Company developed a proprietary and patented extraction and separation process. These results, along with the 2021 larger-scale pilot plant test work completed by Umweltleistungen (“UIT”), an affiliate of General Atomics, are being utilized in the development of the Demonstration Plant.

RARE EARTH PROCESSING AND SEPARATION DEMONSTRATION PLANT PROJECT

A consortium of companies, of which the Company is a member, led by General Atomics, has secured with the DoE a $21,900 Assistance Agreement for the engineering, construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing Demonstration Plant to be located in Upton, Wyoming at a leased industrial site near infrastructure. The consortium created by General Atomics, an affiliate of Synchron, includes certain of General Atomics’ affiliates, the Company, and LNV, an Ardurra Group, Inc. company, as engineering and construction subcontractor. The Company, as a subrecipient of the award, along with the other consortium members, commenced work on the planning and design of the demonstration project in November 2021, and the Company’s contractual arrangement with General Atomics was finalized in December 2021. The DoE funding represents approximately one-half of the total estimated costs for the project.

Pursuant to the Cost Share Funding Assumption Agreement, dated as of November 30, 2021, between the Company and General Atomics, the Company agreed to assume and pay for the approximately one-half non-federal costs incurred by General Atomics and the consortium for the design, construction, and operation of the Demonstration Plant. The non-federal cost-share funding for the Demonstration Plant was secured by the Company through the rights offering that closed in December 2021 and is more fully described in “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this report.

The purpose of the Demonstration Plant will be to process and separate certain rare earth elements from previously stockpiled high-grade sample materials from the Bear Lodge REE Project, utilizing the Company’s proprietary extraction and separation processes. The Demonstration Plant is being designed as a demonstration scale facility that will produce high-purity Neodymium/Praseodymium (“NdPr”), as well as other rare earth oxides. Successful operation will serve as a precursor to a future full-scale production facility.

Demonstration Plant Permitting and Licensing

The Demonstration Plant will encompass the physical processing of the sample materials followed by chemical processing to extract selected elements. All chemicals will be managed in accordance with federal, state, and local environmental and safety regulations. The Company is seeking a source materials possession license from the NRC as well as an air quality permit from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality (the “WDEQ”). A road use permit will also be required from the USFS to improve the access road to the sample storage location. The permitting and licensing process is underway, with the WDEQ air quality permit and USFS access road permits being issued in late 2022, and we expect the remainder of the permitting and licensing to be completed in the second half of 2023.

Demonstration Plant Project Schedule

To achieve the Demonstration Plant project objectives, the schedule is divided into three distinct performance periods covering a total of 40 months, which commenced on October 1, 2021. During the 40-month time period, there are three DOE go/no go decision points.

• Period 1: Design, Permitting and Licensing Commencement – 15 months
• Period 2: Procurement and Construction – approximately 15-17 months
• Period 3: Operations – approximately 8 to 10 months

The objective of Period 1, which was achieved in December 2022, was the completion of the design of the facility and the establishment of requirements and standards to support the subsequent procurement of process equipment, as well as commencement of permitting and licensing. Licensing and permitting will extend into Period 2 and potentially into the early part of Period 3. The objective of Period 2, now underway, is the procurement of the process equipment and the construction of the Demonstration Plant. The objective of Period 3 is the actual operation of the Demonstration Plant itself in accordance with all local, state, and federal permits, licenses, and regulations.

The first DOE go/no-go decision point occurred upon final design, which was achieved in December 2022. The second go/no go decision point is following the completion of the NRC licensing and DOE NEPA review, expected in the second half of 2023, and the third go/no go decision point is at the completion of construction of the plant and achieving readiness for operations, expected in mid-2024.

End-of-Project Goals

The goal of the project is to build and operate a permitted and licensed Demonstration Plant that:

• demonstrates the separation of NdPr and La at commercially required purity levels;
• produces commercial-purity NdPr as well as mixed light/medium REE concentrate, subject to further refining;
• provides a path for the separation of other rare earths, including Sm, Dy and other essential heavy elements;
• provides a basis for economic scale-up to future commercial capacity;
• provides a basis for the demonstration of improved separation economics with expected fewer process steps and a smaller closed-cycle plant as compared with traditional processing methods; and
• demonstrates a process which may be capable of processing feed from other sources, either from the U.S. or other allied countries.

SUNDANCE GOLD PROJECT

The Sundance Gold Project is the second project located on our Bear Lodge Property. The Sundance Gold Project consists of 288 unpatented lode mining claims adjacent to the Bear Lodge Project in Crook County, Wyoming. In 2011, we published a Technical Report that contained dated estimates of inferred mineral resources on the Sundance Gold Project. As a result of the Company’s current focus on the Bear Lodge REE Project, no drilling or exploration on the Sundance Gold Project has been conducted since the end of 2011. We have not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as a current estimate of mineral resources, mineral reserves, or exploration results, and we are not treating the estimate as a current estimate of mineral resources, mineral reserves, or exploration results.

We are not aware of any material pending or threatened litigation or of any proceedings known to be contemplated by governmental authorities which are, or would be, likely to have a material adverse effect upon the Company or our operations, taken as a whole. There are no material proceedings pursuant to which any of our directors, officers or affiliates or any owner of record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of our securities or any associate of any such director, officer or security holder is a party adverse to the Company or has a material interest adverse to it.

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our financial statements and related notes appearing elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. See “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including, but not limited to, those set forth in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. This Management’s Discussion and Analysis (this “MD&A”) has been prepared based on information known to management as of March 27, 2023. This MD&A is intended to help the reader understand the consolidated audited financial statements of the Company.

All currency amounts are expressed in thousands of U.S. dollars, except per share and common share amounts, unless otherwise noted.

OVERVIEW AND OUTLOOK

Our primary focus has been and continues to be the engineering, permitting, construction and operation of a demonstration-scale REE processing and separation plant to be located in Upton, Wyoming. If successful, this Demonstration Plant will show that our propriety extraction technology is able to process and separate certain REEs from sample materials extracted from our Bear Lodge REE Project in a more efficient and economical manner than traditional processing methods and will serve as a precursor to a future full-scale production facility.

During 2022, the Company, along with the other consortium members, continued their work on the Demonstration Plant, and this work is expected to continue through the project’s expected completion date in the early part of 2025. In December 2022, the Demonstration Plant achieved its final engineering design milestone marking the completion of the DoE’s first go decision point. The completion of this milestone was a gating event for the DoE’s continued funding of the project as provided for in the 2021 award grant. Future gating milestones include the expected completion of permitting activities in the second half of 2023 and the completion of the Plant’s construction thereafter. Operations to process and separate the REE from the stockpiled sample are expected to follow the completion of the Plant’s construction for an additional eight-to-10-month period.

In November 2022, the Company received notice that it had been awarded an additional $4,400 grant from the WEA to be used toward the advancement of the Demonstration Plant. This award, along with the funds remaining from its December 2021 rights offering will be used to fund the Company’s fifty percent (50%) share of the Demonstration Plant’s total expected cost of $42,000 with the other fifty percent of the funding coming from the DoE. Through December 31, 2022, the Company had paid a total of $6,700 toward its share of the expected cost of the Demonstration Plant (see Note 4 to our Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion).

Longer term, the Company will not have sufficient funds to progress its development activities beyond the Demonstration Plant, including with respect to feasibility studies, permitting, and licensing, and development and construction related to its Bear Lodge REE Project. Therefore, the achievement of these longer-term activities will be dependent upon securing additional funds through financings, off-take agreements, joint ventures, strategic transactions, or sales of non-core assets. There is no assurance, however, that the Company will be successful in completing any such other financings or transactions. Ultimately, in the event the Company cannot secure additional financial resources, or complete a strategic transaction in the longer term, it may need to suspend its operational plans or potentially liquidate its business interests, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Year Ended December 31, 2022 Compared with the Year Ended December 31, 2021

Summary

Our consolidated net loss for the year ended December 31, 2022 was $9,426, or $0.04 per share, compared with our consolidated net loss of $5,402, or $0.03 per share, for the same period in 2021. See our discussion below for the primary drivers of this change. As an exploration stage company, we had no properties in production and generated no revenues during 2022 or 2021.

Exploration and Evaluation

Our exploration and evaluation costs totaled $4,155 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $2,089 for the same period in 2021. This increase of $2,066 was largely attributable to the activities associated with our Bear Lodge REE Project and the Demonstration Plant as work progressed under the Cost Share Agreement. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion of this Cost Share Agreement.

Corporate Administration

Our corporate administration costs increased to $5,205 for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared with $3,114 for the same period in 2021. This increase of $2,091 over the comparative period was largely driven by an increase in our stock-based compensation of $1,384 and a severance payment of $242 made to Mr. Scott, our former Chief Executive Officer.

Impairment Charges

During the year ended December 31, 2021, we recorded impairment charges of $30 related to the write-down of certain equipment that was no longer in use. We had no such similar charge for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Interest Income

For the year ended December 31, 2022, the Company generated interest income of $258 from the proceeds remaining from its December 2021 rights offering. During the year ended December 31, 2021, we had no such proceeds available for investment.

Accretion Expense

For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we recorded accretion expense of $284 and $114, respectively, related to the Company’s option to repurchase approximately 640 acres of non-core real property in Wyoming for not less than $1,200 or greater than $1,850 in the form of cash, common shares of the Company, or a combination of cash and common shares of the Company. Accretion expense is recorded each reporting period to increase the repurchase option liability to the maximum exercise price of $1,850, less any annual option payments of $25. See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a more complete discussion of the repurchase option.

FINANCIAL POSITION, LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities increased by $6,582 during the year ended December 31, 2022 as compared to the same period in 2021. This increase was almost entirely due to the $6,700 paid to General Atomics, as leader of the consortium, during the year under the Cost Share Agreement for work on the Demonstration Plant. During the year ended December 31, 2021, no similar payments were made to General Atomics under the Cost Sharing Agreement.

Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company received net proceeds of $24,950 from its rights offering (as discussed below) and $133 from stock option exercises. There were no such financing activities during 2022.

In December 2021, the Company completed a rights offering for gross proceeds of approximately $25,400 in which each holder of the Company’s common shares as of the close of business on the record date of October 19, 2021 was eligible to participate. Terms of the rights offering included the issuance of one subscription right for each common share owned by each holder on the record date, with each subscription right entitling the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a subscription price of $0.24 per share (the “basic subscription privilege”). If any holder exercised its basic subscription privilege in full, the holder could also exercise an oversubscription privilege to purchase additional common shares for which were unsubscribed at the expiration of the rights offering, subject to availability and pro rata allocation of shares among persons exercising the oversubscription privilege. The Company has used and plans to use the net proceeds from the rights offering for the permitting, licensing, engineering, construction and operation of the rare earth separation and processing Demonstration Plant near the Company’s Bear Lodge REE Project and other general corporate purposes, with a portion used for the prepayment of outstanding indebtedness, in the principal amount of $1,000, which repayment was completed in December 2021. The previously discussed $21,900 financial award from the DoE for the Demonstration Plant will fund approximately one-half of the expected total cost of the Demonstration Plant, with the balance of the required funding being provided by the Company.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

At December 31, 2022, we had a working capital balance of $17,628, which was a decrease of $6,257 from our December 31, 2021 working capital balance of $23,885. This decrease was mainly due to amounts paid by the Company during 2022 under the Cost Share Agreement for work on the Demonstration Plant.

In November 2022, the Company received notice that it had been awarded a $4,400 grant from the WEA to be used toward the advancement of the Demonstration Plant. The WEA grant is a cost-reimbursement award that will be available to the Company for the reimbursement of future Demonstration Plant expenses. At December 31, 2022, the terms of this grant were still being finalized by the WEA pursuant to finalization of a funding or similar agreement and no amount of the $4,400 award had been received by the Company. Depending on the award’s final terms and conditions, the Company may be able to claim a portion of the $4,400 grant during 2023.

Inclusive of amounts already advanced, the Company’s share of the total costs under the Cost Share Agreement are expected to equal or exceed $22,000 over the life of the Demonstration Plant project. As a result, the Company will not have sufficient funds to progress with longer term activities, including with respect to feasibility studies, permitting, development and construction related to the Bear Lodge REE Project, even after taking into account the expected receipt of the $4,400 in WEA grant monies. Therefore, the achievement of these longer-term activities will be dependent upon additional financings, off-take agreements, joint ventures, strategic transactions, or sales of various assets. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company will be successful in completing any such financings or other transactions. Ultimately, in the event the Company cannot secure additional financial resources, or complete a strategic transaction in the longer term, it may need to suspend its operational plans or potentially liquidate its business interests, and investors may lose all or part of their investment.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements required to be disclosed in this Annual Report.

Contractual Obligations

Cost Share Agreement – Related Party

On November 30, 2021, the Company and General Atomics entered into a Cost Share Funding Assumption Agreement (the “Cost Share Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company agreed to assume and pay for certain costs incurred by General Atomics and the consortium for the design, construction, and operation of a rare earth separation and processing Demonstration Plant near the Bear Lodge REE Project in Upton, Wyoming.

As previously discussed, in January 2021, the DoE announced that a consortium of companies, which includes the Company, led by General Atomics, an affiliate of Synchron, and certain of its affiliates, and LNV, an Ardurra Group, Inc. company, as engineering and construction subcontractor, was selected for a potential financial award in the amount of $21,900 for the engineering, construction and operation of a rare earth separation and processing Demonstration Plant. The DoE award was finalized through a cooperative agreement dated October 1, 2021 (the “Cooperative

Agreement”) between General Atomics and the DoE with respect to the engineering, permitting, and licensing, construction and operation of the Demonstration Plant. The Cooperative Agreement provides that up to approximately $43,900 in allowable costs for the Demonstration Plant would be funded on a cost-share basis, 50% by the DoE and 50% by a non-federal entity.

Pursuant to the terms of the Cost Share Agreement, the Company is obligated to make payments totaling $21,900 to General Atomics, as leader of the consortium, for its share of the assumed costs for the Demonstration Plant, $6,700 of which had been paid through December 31, 2022.

The term of the Cost Share Agreement will continue until the date of completion of the Demonstration Plant, unless terminated earlier by either party. Either party may terminate the Cost Share Agreement immediately upon written notice to the other party if any of the following events occurs: (a) the Cooperative Agreement is terminated for any reason prior to the completion of the Demonstration Plant; (b) the other party commits a material breach of its obligations under the Cost Share Agreement and fails to cure such breach within 30 days; or (c) the other party makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors, files a petition in bankruptcy, is adjudicated insolvent or bankrupt, or commences any insolvency or bankruptcy proceedings. Upon any early termination of the Cost Share Agreement, the Company must pay for all costs incurred by or on behalf of General Atomics to wind down the Demonstration Plant other than any allowable costs for such wind-down paid for by the DoE.

Intellectual Property Rights – Related Party

During October 2017, the Company and Synchron executed an intellectual property rights agreement, whereby Synchron received rights to use and improve the Company’s intellectual property relating to the Company’s patents and related technical information. The Company retains the right to use any such improvements. See “Item 1A. Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.

Land Purchase Option

On October 25, 2021, the Company and Whitelaw Creek LLC, a Wyoming limited liability company (“Whitelaw Creek”), entered into an amendment (the “Amendment”) to the asset purchase agreement dated October 20, 2016 between the Company and Whitelaw Creek (the “Asset Purchase Agreement”). The Amendment modified certain provisions of the Asset Purchase Agreement related to the terms and conditions of the Company’s option to repurchase (the “Repurchase Option”) approximately 640 acres of non-core real property located in Crook County, Wyoming, that is under consideration for a waste rock facility for the Bear Lodge REE Project. Pursuant to and subject to the terms of the Amendment, among other things, the term of the Repurchase Option (which was to expire on October 26, 2021) was extended for up to three additional years, subject to annual option extension payments from the Company to Whitelaw Creek of $25 in cash per year (each, a “Repurchase Option Extension Payment”); and the exercise price of the Repurchase Option was increased from $1,000 to a price to be determined by a mutually agreed upon real estate appraiser (the “Repurchase Price”), provided that (i) the Repurchase Price must not be less than $1,200 or greater than $1,850 and (ii) any Repurchase Option Extension Payments paid by the Company to Whitelaw Creek must be credited toward the Company’s payment of the Repurchase Price if the Repurchase Option is later exercised. In October 2022, the Company made the $25 Repurchase Option Extension Payment to Whitelaw Creek to extend the term of the Repurchase Option through October 26, 2023.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES

For a summary of our significant accounting policies, including those discussed below, see Note 3 to our Consolidated Financial Statements.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The amounts which involve significant estimates include reclamation obligations and income tax.

Reclamation Obligations

Our mining and exploration activities are subject to various laws and regulations, including legal and contractual obligations to reclaim, remediate, or otherwise restore properties at the time the property is removed from service. Reclamation obligations are recognized when incurred and recorded as liabilities at fair value. The reclamation obligation is based on when spending for an existing disturbance will occur. We reclaim the disturbance from our exploration programs on an ongoing basis and, therefore, the portion of our reclamation obligation corresponding to our exploration programs will be settled in the near term and is classified as a current liability. The remaining reclamation associated with environmental monitoring programs is classified as a long-term liability; however, because we have not declared proven and probable reserves as defined under Item 1300 of Regulation S-K, the timing of these reclamation activities is uncertain as the reclamation areas will be utilized once the project is operating. For exploration stage properties that do not qualify for asset capitalization, the costs associated with the obligation are charged to operations. For development and production stage properties, the costs are added to the capitalized costs of the property and amortized using the units-of-production method. We review, on a quarterly basis, unless otherwise deemed necessary, the reclamation obligation associated with our properties.

Our reclamation obligation is secured by a surety bond held for the benefit of the state of Wyoming in an amount determined by the applicable federal or state regulatory agency.

Accounting for reclamation and remediation obligations requires management to make estimates unique to each mining operation of the future costs the Company expects to incur to complete the reclamation and remediation work required to comply with existing laws and regulations. These estimates require considerable judgment and are sensitive to changes in underlying inputs and assumptions. Such changes, including, but not limited to, (i) changes to environmental laws and regulations, which could increase the scope and extent of work required, (ii) changes in the timing of reclamation and remediation activities, which could occur over an extended future period and (iii) changes in the methods and technology utilized to settle reclamation and remediation obligations, could have a material impact on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Income Taxes

The Company applies the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standard Codification (“ASC”) 740 Income Taxes. The Standard requires an asset and liability approach for financial accounting and reporting for income taxes and the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and tax basis of the Company’s assets and liabilities at enacted tax rates expected to be in effect when such amounts are realized or settled. Due to losses from inception, the Company has no tax liability. Currently, the Company has no deferred taxes arising from temporary differences between income for financial reporting and income tax purposes.

The Company classifies tax-related penalties and net interest on income taxes as income tax expense. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, no income tax expense had been incurred or accrued.

New Accounting Pronouncements

As of December 31, 2022, the Company had adopted all accounting pronouncements affecting the Company.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The principal executive officer and principal financial officer, with the supervision of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee and participation of management, have evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act), as of December 31, 2022. Based on the evaluation, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures in place are effective to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that the Company files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting of the Company. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, our principal executive and principal financial officers, and effected by our Board of Directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

• pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
• provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and
• provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Subsequent to the addition of the CFO position in March 2022, our internal control procedures and policies have been updated and enhanced. Nevertheless, because of their inherent limitations, internal controls over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Our management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth in the Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on management’s assessment, we have concluded that, as of December 31, 2022, our internal control over financial reporting was effective. Because we are a smaller reporting company and a non-accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm is not required to attest to or issue a report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2022 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.