TSX-V: RES AMEX: REE
VANCOUVER, Feb. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - Rare Element
Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: RES) (AMEX: REE) (the "Company") is pleased
to announce the appointment of Mr. George
G. Byers as Vice President - Government and Community
Relations. In this role he will lead an initiative to foster
community and government support for the development and production
of rare earths at the Bear Lodge Project, Wyoming.
As a consultant, Mr. Byers has contributed significantly for a
number of months to the initiative begun by the Company in the
spring of 2010. He is a 35-year mining and energy industry veteran
with extensive executive experience in federal, state and local
government relations. He has worked extensively in a variety
of settings including dealing with public policy issues involved
with mineral exploration, project siting and development, land use
and public affairs issues in the Western United States.
During his career, Mr. Byers served as vice president of the
coal mining unit of Public Service Company of New Mexico, and as vice president of public
affairs and communications for Santa Fe Pacific Gold prior to its
acquisition by Newmont Mining Company. He has held executive
positions in the uranium industry with Rio Algom Mining and Cameco
Corporation's US uranium production unit. At Louisiana Energy
Services he successfully built the case for siting in New Mexico what has become America's first
commercial gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility. Mr.
Byers comes to Rare Element Resources from Neutron Energy Inc., a
privately held uranium development company with interests in
New Mexico and Wyoming. He
has been a consultant to the precious metals, rare earths, copper,
and uranium industries on a variety of public and government
issues.
Mr. Byers is a former president of the Northwest Mining
Association, and serves on the boards of directors of the Mountain
States Legal Foundation, the Citizens' Alliance for Responsible
Energy (CARE), the University of
Mississippi Engineering School Advisory Board and the
Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute. He is a graduate of the
University of Mississippi, a
Vietnam veteran, an Army Ranger
and a former Army Infantry Officer.
Dr. Donald E. Ranta, President
and CEO of Rare Element Resources, states, "George is a solid
strategic addition as we continue building our project development
team for the Bear Lodge Project. His background in
Wyoming plus his experience and
proven ability to educate and build community and government
acceptance for important natural resources projects will help us
immensely as we move Bear Lodge through the pre-feasibility,
feasibility, and permitting phases into construction and production
of rare-earth elements."
Rare Element Resources Ltd (TSX-V: RES & AMEX:
REE) is a publicly traded mineral resource
company focused on exploration and development of rare-earth
elements and gold on the Bear Lodge property.
Rare-earth elements are key components of the green energy
technologies and other high-technology applications. Some of the
major applications include hybrid automobiles, plug-in electric
automobiles, advanced wind turbines, computer hard drives, compact
fluorescent light bulbs, metal alloys, additives in ceramics and
glass, petroleum cracking catalysts, and a number of critical
military applications. China
currently produces more than 95% of the 130,000 metric tonnes of
rare-earths consumed annually worldwide, and China has been reducing its exports of rare
earths each year. The rare-earth market is growing rapidly, and is
projected to accelerate if the green technologies are implemented
on a broad scale.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD
Donald E. Ranta, PhD, PGeo,
President & CEO
Donald E. Ranta, PhD, PGeo,
serves the Board of Directors of the Company as an internal,
technically Qualified Person. Technical information in this
news release has been reviewed by Dr. Ranta and has been prepared
in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements that are set
out in National Instrument 43-101. This news release was
prepared by Company management, who take full responsibility for
content. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.
SOURCE Rare Element Resources Ltd.
Copyright . 16 PR Newswire
