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Wlaf1450‘Construction of United Rare Earths first building may start within 90 days’- Mayor Jack Lynch
CAMPBELL COUNTY, TN (WLAF)- Community leaders visited with some of the people associated with the development of United Rare Earths on Wednesday morning, including CEO Jeffrey Willis and Campbell County Mayor Jack Lynch.
“Engineers, people who will be opening the plant, people who will be building the plant, construction company, different folks. Each of us is onboard, and we believe that it will be in the works … soon. I believe the first building will go up in the next 90 days,” said Lynch.
Rare Earths are a group of 15 elements in the periodic table that are found in the earth. They are used in electric vehicle production, renewable energy systems and technology, battery making and more. Currently China is responsible for 90 percent of Rare Earths production and supply, and the United States is seeking to break China’s domination of the rare earths market.
Lynch said this is a long-term project, because it is being built from scratch, from the ground up. “We have people involved from state government to the federal government and even the White House who know we really need a solution to this supply chain,” said the mayor.
“We saw there was a shortage of key tools, rare earth elements are in short supply in this nation, but not in our wildest dreams did we think we would be able to have this impact on our nation for the better. Our mission is to create a secure, reliable, domestic supply of rare earth elements,” Willis said at the 2023 groundbreaking.
These will be jobs of all levels including scientists, engineers, skilled trade workers and more, according to Willis.
“We need a solution, a national solution to the supply chain that can only come through the United Rare Earths recycling, the redevelopment of that product, and it’s going to happen in Caryville, Tennessee,” said Lynch. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/28/2026-6AM-PHOTO COURTESY OF WLAF’s CHARLIE HUTSON)