Expand Appalachia CORE-CM (Expand APP)

_{Building a domestic critical minerals future from Appalachian resources, waste streams, and industrial assets}

The Expand Appalachia CORE-CM (Expand APP) project is a regional research initiative focused on identifying and characterizing critical mineral concentrations across the Appalachian region. CORE-CM stands for Carbon Ore, Rare Earth, and Critical Minerals. The project is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s broader effort to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical minerals, rare earth elements, and high-value nonfuel carbon-based products. The DOE CORE-CM Initiative is designed to support regional economic growth, job creation, resource assessment, supply-chain development, stakeholder engagement, and workforce training.

The Expand APP project will provide the foundational data, assessment methodologies, & implementation plans needed to catalyze economic growth & job creation by realizing the full potential value of the region’s natural resources, specifically including unconventional sources of critical minerals & metals as well as non-fuel carbon-based products.

Expand APP connects resource development with regional renewal. By evaluating critical minerals in Appalachian coal, waste, byproducts, and associated materials, the project may help identify new ways to create value from existing resources while supporting reclamation, workforce development, and economic diversification.

Principal Investigator (PI): 
Dr. Richard E. Bishop
Professor of Practice - Mining Engineering
Virginia Tech

Project Team:

• Virginia Tech (VT)
• University of Kentucky (UK)
• Pennsylvania State University (PSU)
• West Virginia University (WVU)
• Bluefield State University (BSU)
• Bandy Geological Consulting (BGC)
• Chmura Economics & Analytics
• Coalfield Strategies (CS)
• Crescent Resource Innovations (CRI)
• Marshall Miller & Associates (MM&A)
• Virginia Energy (VaDOE)
• Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS)
• US Geological Survey (USGS)
• Virginia Center for Coal & Energy Research (VCCER)

Upcoming Events:

• September 17, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop at the MCPA PE Seminar in Lebanon, VA
• March 2, 2027 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the SME Annual Conference in Denver, CO 

Past Events:

• July 28, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with El Colombiano newspaper in Medellín, Colombia published online
• July 26, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with Valora Analitik in Bogotá, Colombia published online
• July 25, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with El Espectador in Bogotá, Colombia published online
• July 24, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with Viarteria in Bogotá, Colombia published online
• July 23, 2026 - Panel discussion on battery metals & battery health analytics with Dr. Bishop at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Transportation Summit in Harrisonburg, VA
• July 23, 2026 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Mid-Atlantic Advanced Transportation Summit in Harrisonburg, VA
• July 20, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Society of Mining Professors Annual General Meeting in Blacksburg, VA
• July 18, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with The Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA published online
• July 17, 2026 - Roundable media discussion with Dr. Bishop hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Bogotá, Colombia
• July 14, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop at the 12th International Conference on Sustainable Development in the Minerals Industry in Medellín, Colombia
• May 28, 2026 - Dr. Bishop interview with investir.ch in Switzerland published online
• May 19-20, 2026 - Dr. Bishop and Co-PI Dr. Noble at the Current Trends in Mining Finance Conference in New York, NY
• May 15, 2026 - Dr. Bishop on the Distinguished Visitor Panel for National Defense University's Strategic Minerals Industry Study
• May 13, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Southwest Virginia R&D Authority meeting in Abingdon, VA
• May 1, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop on Monazite in Virginia Heavy Mineral Sands: Geology and Strategic REE Potential at the Virginia Geological Research Symposium in Charlottesville, VA
• April 28, 2026 - Dr. Bishop on the Mine EX-Plorers podcast (Episode 63): “Critical Minerals, Monazite & the Future of Mining"
• April 22, 2026 - Presentation by Dr. Bishop on Monazite as a REE source at the SME Forum on the Geology of Industrial Minerals in Charlottesville, VA
• April 16, 2026 - Presentation by Mr. Ralph Bandy on produced water as a source of critical minerals at the SPE meeting in Abingdon, VA
• March 17, 2026 - Presentation by Mr. Kevin Andrews on "Borehole Geophysics for Rare Earth Element/Critical Mineral Exploration & Mining Conditions Characterization" at the Environmental & Engineering Geophysical Society SAGEEP 2026 conference in Pittsburgh, PA
• March 1 - 4, 2026 - Expand APP at the PDAC 2026 Convention in Toronto, Canada
• February 22 - 25, 2026 - Expand APP at the SME Annual Conference in Salt Lake City, UT
• January 15, 2026 - Dr. Bishop on the Mine EX-Plorers podcast (Episode 51): “Coal, Critical Minerals & the Return of Eastern U.S. Mining”
• October 25, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Careers in Coal Technical Program in Lexington, KY
• October 21, 2025 - Dr. Bishop panel discussion at the Coal Trends "America's Coal Revolution" 2025 Conference in Pittsburgh, PA
• October 8, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the FL-SME Regional Mining Conference in Plant City, FL
• September 4, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the MCPA Annual PE Seminar in Lebanon, VA
• August 13, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop to the VCCER Advisory Board (virtual meeting)
• June 2, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors meeting in Blacksburg, VA
• May 19 - 21, 2025 - Expand APP at the 2025 SME-NY Current Trends in Mining Finance Conference in New York City
• April 25, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Mr. William Lassetter at the 2025 VA Geological Research Symposium in Charlottesville, VA
• March 29, 2025 - Expand APP at the SME-ECMRO Mine Rescue Contest at the WV Training & Conference Center in Julian, WV
• March 21, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Mr. William Lassetter at the GSA 2025 Southeastern Section Meeting in Harrisonburg, VA
• March 21, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the SME Central Appalachian Section Spring Meeting in Julian, WV
• March 12, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the Southwest Virginia Energy R&D Authority meeting in Abingdon, VA
• February 25, 2025 - Expand APP presentation by Dr. Bishop at the SME Annual Conference in Denver, CO
• February 25, 2025 - CORE-CM/Rare Earths Technical Session at the SME Annual Conference in Denver, CO