News reports indicate that the EPA will move today to repeal the prior administration's Mercury Air Toxics Standards – or MATS rule.

The move is an important one because the rule was specifically designed to force the closure of coal plants, with revisions far too costly to justify the minimal emission reductions they would achieve, and standards set at levels that were not achievable in the real world.

Reuters is reporting that the Democratic Republic of Congo is including specific critical mineral mines on a list of strategic assets that it is offering to the U.S. under a minerals cooperation framework the two countries are working to finalize. With some assets currently under rebel control, U.S. interests and investment are increasingly being drawn into the conflict-torn eastern Congo region.

And finally, with strong demand and holdups in supply, prices of two key rare earths have rallied above the price floor provided by the U.S. government last year to MP Materials. The higher prices mean the U.S. government will not have to subsidize MP Materials operations and will also support production from other producers working to help cut the world's reliance on China.