The race to secure domestic supply chains for critical minerals intensified last week following the announcement of a significant geological discovery in the western United States. A Utah-based mining firm has identified a deposit that mirrors the specific geological characteristics responsible for much of China’s rare earth dominance, potentially offering the U.S. a strategic counterweight in the escalating trade war over materials vital to national defense and the energy transition. Ionic Mineral Technologies, based in Provo, Utah, reported…