2026年3月22日 / 美国东部时间晚上7:45 / CBS新闻
大约十年前，MP材料公司首席执行官詹姆斯·利廷斯基（James Litinsky）收购了一座关闭的稀土矿，这座矿当时确实部分被水淹没。如今，他已将自己的企业转变为美国国家安全领域的关键参与者。
自20世纪90年代中国从美国手中接管稀土行业以来，中国已主导了整个供应链，包括采矿、加工，尤其是利用这些金属制造超强磁铁。这些磁铁是智能手机、机器人、战斗机和无人机的关键组件。2025年4月，特朗普总统实施关税计划后，中国回应称限制向美国销售部分稀土元素和磁铁，并要求企业详细披露使用情况。
“就目前情况而言，我们需要中国政府的许可才能制造产品。我们需要中国政府的许可才能制造军用产品，”利廷斯基表示，“实际情况是，这种状况不可接受。”
什么是稀土以及它们在美国的分布
尽管名为“稀土”，但实际上稀土并不稀有；真正稀有的是稀土浓度足够高且开采地点便于开采的矿场。总共有17种稀土元素，每种都是元素周期表中的一种金属元素。
威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校环境研究教授、稀土专家朱莉·克林格（Julie Klinger）表示，这些不是铁、铜和铝这类广为人知的金属。其中包括铕（曾用于早期电视机增强红色）和钕（可增强和小型化磁铁）。这些所谓的“稀土永磁体”被广泛应用于从高速列车、电动汽车到让iPhone发出震动的微型电机等各种设备。
“稀土元素的独特之处在于其出色的磁、导电和光学性能，”克林格说，“所以它们的使用方式有点像烹饪中的香料，只需添加少量特定稀土元素（例如钕）到磁铁中，就能使磁铁既小巧又强大。”
1949年，地质学家在加利福尼亚州的芒廷帕斯（Mountain Pass）发现了稀土。到20世纪60年代，各种稀土开始被开采、分离和利用。数十年来，芒廷帕斯矿一直被视为世界主要稀土矿。
但由于中国能以更低成本进行生产，这一过程最终转移到了海外。
“这是一项肮脏且高风险的业务，”克林格称，“很难实现收支平衡。”
芒廷帕斯矿因全球化以及1990年代美国环境监管机构的介入而陷入困境——当时低放射性废水和残留物泄漏到莫哈韦沙漠。该矿停滞了十年，直到新公司Molycorp试图与中国竞争并复兴业务，但最终失败。Molycorp于2015年申请破产。
中国稀土主导地位对美国的影响
内政部长道格·伯加姆（Doug Burgum）表示，目前中国几乎垄断了所谓稀土永磁体所需的战略金属，这些永磁体是现代世界运转的关键组件。但他补充说，中国不仅垄断了市场。
“他们还将其武器化，如果自由世界的其他国家表示‘我们要开始开采和提炼’，他们就会针对这种特定矿物，向市场倾销大量产品，压低价格。这样一来，包括美国在内的企业突然变得无利可图，”伯加姆说道。
MP材料公司首席执行官詹姆斯·利廷斯基表示，目前全球“远超过90%”的稀土磁铁在中国生产。
2025年4月，特朗普总统公布了他所谓的“解放日”全球关税计划。中国以毁灭性方式进行报复，暂时切断了对美国的稀土供应；福特汽车公司突然失去可靠的磁铁来源，不得不暂停Explorer SUV的生产。经过一系列贸易休战，中国恢复向美国运送稀土磁铁，但附带某些限制条件。
11月，在与中国达成协议后，特朗普告诉《60分钟》，中国通过控制稀土资源“非常强烈地威胁着美国”。
当前的中美贸易休战将在八个月后到期。如果没有新协议，美国的稀土供应至少在短期内仍将面临脆弱性。
作为应对中国稀土主导地位的国家战略的一部分，特朗普政府高级官员于2025年4月召集利廷斯基和迈克尔·罗森塔尔（Michael Rosenthal）——美国仅有的活跃稀土矿经营者，同时正在建设稀土永磁体工厂——前往华盛顿。
复兴美国稀土产业
利廷斯基十年前就开始涉足稀土领域。当时他经营一家芝加哥对冲基金，看到了《60分钟》关于稀土的报道，这让他意识到芒廷帕斯矿以及中国在该行业的主导地位。后来，在寻找困境企业中的价值时，利廷斯基听说了Molycorp——这家曾试图复兴芒廷帕斯矿但失败的公司——陷入困境并最终申请破产。他最终收购了该矿和冶炼厂，并邀请同为对冲基金从业者的朋友罗森塔尔帮忙重启业务。
2017年他们接管时，矿场不仅财务上濒临破产，而且字面意义上部分被水淹没：中国大量抛售稀土导致价格下跌，矿井底部积聚了3000万加仑地下水，尽管Molycorp已投资20亿美元升级场地并提高环保水平，但矿场仍被迫关闭。
MP材料公司成立时只有8名员工。如今，仅在芒廷帕斯矿就有700多名员工。
罗森塔尔表示，采矿是相对容易的部分，困难的是从岩石中分离稀土元素并将它们相互分离。
2023年，MP取得了一个里程碑：在该矿场又投入近10亿美元后，他们能够将钕和镨提纯至99.9%纯度。
但MP材料公司还需要最后一个环节来绕过中国并确保完整的供应链：制造最终产品——这些对现代世界至关重要的高性能稀土磁铁。因此，他们在得克萨斯州沃思堡建造了一个设施，将来自芒廷帕斯矿的纯稀土氧化物熔化、冷却、压缩、切割，最终制成磁铁。这意味着MP是全球唯一一家控制从矿场到磁铁的完整稀土磁铁供应链的公司，从而实现了对北京的独立性。他们希望随着规模扩大，很快能每天生产100万个磁铁。利廷斯基表示，他们的首个客户通用汽车（General Motors）将于今年晚些时候开始在车辆中使用MP材料的稀土磁铁。
来自华盛顿的召唤
但去年春天情况并不乐观。2025年4月特朗普宣布关税后，主要制造商和美国政府发现自己面临中国限制稀土和超级磁铁供应的局面。作为美国唯一的“一站式”稀土矿、冶炼厂和磁铁制造公司的所有者，利廷斯基和罗森塔尔被传唤至五角大楼。
“五角大楼希望启动一个类似曼哈顿计划的项目，以加速国内稀土磁体供应链的建设，”利廷斯基说。
他们被要求尽可能快地扩大生产规模，并达成了一项不寻常的协议：五角大楼同意向MP材料公司注入4亿美元（另外1.5亿美元用于开发处理所谓“重稀土”的冶炼厂），美国政府获得15%的股权。关键是，该协议附带了MP稀土氧化物10年的价格下限保证——每公斤11万美元，并承诺如果价格低于该水平，政府将补足差额。因此，即使中国再次试图充斥市场，MP也有保障。如果稀土氧化物价格高于该下限，美国政府将分享利润。
政府还要求MP材料公司将稀土磁铁产量提高十倍。为实现这一目标，利廷斯基正在得克萨斯州诺斯韦尔建造一个更大的稀土磁铁工厂。该公司表示，其产能将足以满足美国最关键的稀土磁铁需求。这座也位于得克萨斯州、被称为“10X”的工厂预计2028年完工。
一直支持公私合营并复兴美国工业政策的伯加姆为MP交易辩护，称即使它偏离了严格的自由市场资本主义原则。
“我肯定称之为务实主义，”伯加姆说，“因为自由市场有效，但如果对手控制了垄断并操纵价格，自由市场就无法发挥作用。”
As the U.S. invests in rare earths, a mine that was broke and underwater 10 years ago is now a game-changer
March 22, 2026 / 7:45 PM EDT / CBS News
About a decade after he bought a shuttered rare earths mine that was, literally, partially underwater, MP Materials CEO James Litinsky has transformed his business into a pivotal player in America’s national security.
Since taking over the rare earth industry from the United States in the 1990s, China has dominated the entire supply chain. That includes the mining, processing and especially the making of super-powered magnets using these elemental metals, which are essential components inside smartphones, robotics, fighter jets and drones. When President Trump enacted his tariff plans in April 2025, China responded by restricting sales of some rare earth elements and magnets to the U.S. – and requiring companies to file detailed disclosures for how they would be used.
“As it stands today, we need permission from the Chinese government to make things. We need permission from the Chinese government to make military things,” Litinsky said. “The practical reality is, that is not an acceptable condition.”
What are rare earths and where are they in the U.S.
Despite the name, rare earths aren’t rare; what’s actually rare are sites with high enough concentrations of rare earths, and accessible enough locations, to make extraction worthwhile. In all, there are 17 rare earth elements, each one an elemental metal on the periodic table.
These are not well-known metals like iron, copper and aluminum. There’s europium, which enhanced the color red in early television sets, and neodymium, which strengthens and miniaturizes magnets. These so-called “rare earth permanent magnets” are used in everything from high-speed rail and electric vehicles to the tiny motors that make iPhones buzz, according to Julie Klinger, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a rare earths expert.
Jon Wertheim and Julie Klinger 60 Minutes
“The thing that distinguishes rare earth elements are their fantastic magnetic, conductive and optical properties,” Klinger said. “So they’re used often the way you might use spices in cooking, because if you add just a little bit of a certain rare earth element, say, to a magnet, that enables that magnet to be both very small and very powerful.”
Geologists found rare earths at Mountain Pass, California, in 1949. By the 60s, individual rare earths were being mined, separated and utilized. Mountain Pass was considered the world’s main rare earth mine for decades.
But the process eventually moved offshore because China could do it cheaper.
“It’s a dirty business. It’s a risky business,” Klinger said. “It’s a difficult business to really break even.”
Mountain Pass fell victim to globalization, and also to U.S. environmental regulators in the 1990s after low levels of radioactive water and residue leaked into the Mojave Desert. The mine languished for a decade until a new company, Molycorp, tried, unsuccessfully, to compete with China and revive the business. Molycorp filed for bankruptcy in 2015.
What China’s rare earth dominance means for the U.S.
Right now, China holds a near-monopoly over the strategic metals that go into so-called rare earth permanent magnets, key components in so much that makes the modern world go, according to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. But, he added, China hasn’t just cornered the market.
“They also weaponize it, because if anybody in the rest of the free world said, ‘Hey, we’re going to start mining and we’re going to start refining,’ then they would target that particular mineral, dump a quantity onto the market, drive the price down. And companies, including U.S. companies that were profitable, suddenly became unprofitable,” Burgum said.
Secretary Doug Burgum 60 Minutes
At the moment, “well north of 90%” of the world’s rare earth magnets are made in China, MP Materials CEO James Litinsky said.
Last April, Mr. Trump unveiled his global tariffs plan on what he called Liberation Day. China retaliated to devastating effect, temporarily choking off rare earths to the U.S.; Ford Motor Company, suddenly without a reliable source of magnets, had to pause production on Explorer SUVs. After a series of trade truces, China resumed sending rare earth magnets to the U.S., with certain restrictions.
In November, after reaching a deal with China, Mr. Trump told 60 Minutes China had been “very strongly threatening” the U.S. with its control over rare earths.
The current U.S.-China trade truce is set to expire in eight months. Absent a new deal, the nation’s rare earth supply, at least in the short-term, remains vulnerable.
As part of the national strategy to counter China’s rare earths’ dominance, senior Trump administration officials summoned Litinsky and Michael Rosenthal, the men running America’s only active rare earth mine, and who were then building a rare earth permanent magnet factory, to Washington in April 2025.
Reviving the U.S. rare earth industry
Litinsky got his start in rare earths a decade ago. He was running a Chicago hedge fund when he saw a 60 Minutes report on rare earths, which helped inform his awareness of the mine at Mountain Pass and China’s dominance of the industry. Then, while looking for value in distressed companies, Litinsky heard about Molycorp — the company that had unsuccessfully tried to revive Mountain Pass — struggling, and eventually filing for bankruptcy. He wound up owning the mine and refinery and turned to Rosenthal, a friend who also worked in hedge funds to help restart it
When they took charge in 2017, it was underwater, financially and literally: China had flooded the rare earth market driving down prices, and 30 million gallons of groundwater had pooled at the bottom of the mine, forcing it to shut down despite the fact Molycorp had invested $2 billion upgrading the site and making it more environmentally-friendly.
There were only eight employees when Litinsky and Rosenthal launched MP Materials. Today, there are more than 700 employees, just at Mountain Pass.
James Litinsky and Michael Rosenthal 60 Minutes
The mining is the easy part, Rosenthal said. The hard part is separating the rare earths from the rock, and then from each other.
In 2023, MP reached a milestone: After investing nearly a billion dollars more into the site, it was able to refine neodymium and praseodymium to 99.9% purity.
But MP Materials needed one last link to bypass China and secure the complete supply chain: the ability to manufacture their final product, those high-powered rare earth magnets so crucial to the modern world. So, in Fort Worth, Texas, they built a facility where pure rare earth oxide from Mountain Pass gets melted, cooled, compressed, diced and eventually turned into magnets. This meant MP was the only company, anywhere, to control the entire rare earth magnet supply chain, from mine to magnet, meaning independence from Beijing. They hope to soon be producing a million magnets a day as they scale up. Litinsky says their first customer, General Motors, will begin using rare earth magnets from MP Materials in vehicles later this year.
A call from Washington
But last spring things were not so rosy. After Mr. Trump announced tariffs in April 2025, major manufacturers and the U.S. government found themselves confronting China as it restricted the flow of rare earths and supermagnets. As the owners of America’s only “one-stop” rare earth mine, refinery, and magnet-making company, Litinsky and Rosenthal were called to the Pentagon.
“The Pentagon wanted a Manhattan-style project to accelerate the entire supply chain of rare earth magnetics in the country,” Litinsky said.
Litinsky and Rosenthal were asked to scale up everything as quickly as possible, and an unusual deal was brokered. The Pentagon agreed to inject $400 million into MP Materials (plus another $150 million to develop a refinery to process so-called “heavy” rare earths) and the U.S. government took a 15% ownership stake. Critically, the deal came with a guaranteed 10-year price floor for MP’s rare earth oxide, $110,000 a kilogram, and promised to make up the difference to the company if prices drop below that. So, even if China tries to flood the market again, MP is covered. If rare earth oxide prices rise above that floor, the U.S. government shares the profits.
The government also asked MP Materials to ramp up rare earth magnet production, tenfold. To do it, Litinsky is building an even bigger rare earth magnet factory in Northvale, Texas. The company says it could produce enough to fulfill the country’s most essential rare earth magnet needs. That plant, also in Texas and called “10X,” is expected to be complete by 2028.
Burgum, who’s been a vocal supporter of public-private partnerships and reviving U.S. industrial policy, defends the MP deal, even if it strays from strict principles of market capitalism.
“I’d certainly call it pragmatism,” Burgum said, “because free markets work, but they don’t work if you have an adversary that controls a monopoly that control[s] the prices.”