“We’re there,” announced Jim Simms, chief communications officer for NioCorp, in his beginning remarks to the crowd packed in the new Fire Hall/Community Center at the NioCorp town hall meeting in Elk Creek on Friday, December 5. “We anticipate starting construction in 2026.”
Mark Smith, chairman, president, and CEO of Nio-Corp, briefly addressed the crowd. “This is an exciting time for this community. They are changing times as well; this is a big project. The government understands how important this project is for the country and the state. And we want to say thank you to the local community for how warm and cheerful you are.”
Governor Jim Pillen, present at the noon meeting, spoke about how important the Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project is to strengthen national defense, to allow the country to rely on its own resources, and to spur rural economic growth.
