Governor Braun positions Indiana as leader on rare earth elements, managing water resources responsibly

Submitted by Office of Governor Mike Braun

On Monday, ahead of Earth Day, Governor Mike Braun signed executive orders to position Indiana as a national leader in rare earth element recovery and launch a statewide plan for responsible and transparent water resource management.

Executive Order 25-62

Supporting Environmental Health and Economic Leadership Through Recovery of Rare Earth Metals and Critical Materials from Indiana Coal Sites

“American advanced manufacturing can’t be dependent on China for rare earth elements,” Gov. Braun said. “Indiana is stepping up with our new Rare Earth Recovery Council to leverage our coal sites to build an American domestic supply chain for these critical materials that power the modern economy.”

Rare earth elements and critical minerals are the foundation of modern technology. China dominates production of these rare earth minerals. The United States is fully dependent on foreign imports for 12 of the 50 minerals classified as critical.

It’s possible to recover rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal and coal byproducts. Indiana, as a national leader in coal production and in restoring abandoned mine lands, is in a great position to lead exploration for an American domestic supply of rare earth minerals and critical materials.

Indiana has vast, underutilized reserves of legacy coal byproducts which could serve as a valuable domestic source for producing critical materials.

With this executive order, Indiana will create the Indiana Rare Earth Recovery Council to spearhead efforts to reclaim rare earth elements and critical materials from legacy coal byproducts.

The Council will work with industry partners and educational institutions to deploy innovative technologies, evaluate opportunities for localized refining, and build a new supply chain.

Indiana will not only lead in cleaning up abandoned mine lands but will also position itself as a strategic source of rare earth elements, making American advanced manufacturing less dependent on the Chinese Communist Party.

Executive Order 25-63

Ensuring Future Economic Prosperity and Opportunity for Hoosiers by the Development of a Statewide Water Inventory and Management Plan

“Proper water management is essential to growing our economy without compromising on Hoosiers’ resource needs in their communities,” Gov. Braun said. “This new thorough inventory and water planning framework will ensure Indiana is ready to support new jobs and growing communities, with full transparency for the public built into the new system.”

Indiana is blessed with an abundant water supply, but it’s not spread evenly across the state. We need a tailored approach to water resource planning and management to make sure we can meet water demands for future economic development.

Under this executive order, the Secretary of Energy and Natural Resources will lead the first statewide inventory of Indiana’s water resources. This thorough inventory will assess current usage, availability, and future demand, paying close attention to regional disparities.

A statewide water planning framework will be developed to align utilities, industries, municipalities, and other users to ensure transparent regional cooperation.

This process will also include recommendations to enhance Indiana’s water monitoring networks.

The Secretary will create a centralized, publicly accessible online platform to consolidate and share real-time data on water resources, like water availability, usage trends, and infrastructure status for maximum transparency.