CLEVELAND, OH — U.S. steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs plans to explore sites in Michigan and Minnesota for domestic rare-earth metals.

The company, which owns several Minnesota taconite facilities and two iron ore mines in the Upper Peninsula, told investors on Oct. 20 that surveys show promise in both states and expansion into rare-earth mining would align with U.S. strategy on critical minerals.

Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves said the move toward rare-earth mining follows “comprehensive reviews of our ore bodies and tailings,” which identified two sites that show evidence of mineralization.

The initial focus would be Michigan, Goncalves said, although he did not specify exact locations and cautioned that the effort is still early stage.

“The important thing is that they are the

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