Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are essential to batteries, power grids, and modern electronics, but the U.S. relies on China for nearly 80% of its supply and less than 1% is recycled. Our team is developing next‑generation phytomining: using selectively bred plants to recover REEs from mine waste. Partnering with the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute, we are genome‑enabling pokeweed to efficiently extract and recycle REEs from acid mine drainage and mine tailings. This approach offers a potentially scalable, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable path to securing the domestic REE supply chain.