Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham says a massive rare-earth deposit in West Texas could generate billions for the state’s schools, and loosen Beijing’s stranglehold on minerals America needs for its weapons and technology.
Buckingham appeared on FOX Business’ “Mornings with Maria” on Monday to lay out the stakes. The Round Top Mountain site in West Texas ranks among the richest known deposits of heavy rare-earth minerals in North America. And Texas officials want to keep the processing domestic.
Rare-earth minerals power everything from fighter jets to smartphones. China has dominated the global supply chain for decades, giving Beijing dangerous leverage over American defense and technology sectors.
Texas, it turns out, sits on a massive answer to that problem.
As Fox Business reported, Buckingham told Bartiromo that the Lone Star State holds 15 of the 17 recognized rare-earth minerals, and the heaviest, most strategically valuable ones at that:
“There are 17 rare-earth minerals. We have 15… We’re heavy in the heavies. Those are the really important ones.”
Heavy rare earths are the hardest to source outside China. They go into precision-guided munitions, satellite systems, and advanced electronics. Any serious plan to decouple American defense supply chains from Beijing runs through deposits like Round Top.
Buckingham framed the project as a win on two fronts: national security and public education. Revenue from mineral development on state land flows to Texas school funds, a direct benefit to taxpayers and families.
Buckingham stated plainly what she expects the payoff to look like:
“It’s going to be billions of dollars to the schoolchildren of Texas, and it’s going to make the United States and the whole world safer.”
That’s the kind of two-for-one deal taxpayers rarely see from government. Resource development that strengthens the country and funds classrooms without raising taxes.
Round Top isn’t the only prospect. Buckingham indicated that exploration is expanding across the broader West Texas region. Officials are now focused on building the infrastructure needed to process minerals domestically, not just dig them up and ship them overseas.
Buckingham described the scope of the effort:
“We have lots of rare-earth minerals all over the region. We are looking at those deposits right now.”
USA Rare Earth CEO Barbara Humpton also appeared in a related segment to discuss fast-tracking the Round Top project and cutting U.S. dependence on Chinese supply chains. The push has backing from both state leaders and the private sector.
For years, Washington talked about reducing reliance on China for critical minerals. Committees held hearings. Agencies published reports. Very little changed on the ground.
Texas is doing something different: acting. Buckingham made the strategic stakes explicit:
“It’s going to be billions of dollars into public education… We’re breaking China’s stronghold on this market. We are making Texas safer.”
Key facts worth tracking:
Details still need filling in. What specific processing infrastructure will be built, and on what timeline? Which public funds will receive the projected revenue? How quickly can permitting move? These questions matter, and taxpayers deserve clear answers as the project advances.
But the direction is right. When a state rich in resources decides to develop them for American benefit, funding schools and strengthening defense, that’s self-governance working the way the Founders intended.
Washington spent years wringing its hands over China’s mineral dominance. Texas picked up a shovel.
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