The U.S. Secretary of Energy and other elected officials are preparing to travel to Wyoming for the opening of the first new coal mine in the state in more than five decades.

The ribbon cutting for the Brook Mine Carbon Ore Rare Earth project will be on July 11. National and state leaders are expected to speak at the event in Ranchester. 

"It will be the first new rare earth mine in the United States in more than 70 years and the first new coal mine in Wyoming in over 50 years," Ramaco Resources, Inc. said in a press release. 

"This is more than a ribbon cutting — it's a declaration of America's resolve to reclaim its leadership in critical minerals and energy independence," Randall W. Atkins, Chairman and Chief Executive of Ramaco Resources, said in a statement. 

"We are proud that Ramaco will be developing the first new mine to lead the United States in creating a viable domestic supply line of strategic rare earths and critical minerals," he continued.  

Ramaco Resources says the Brook mine project will help the U.S. reduce its "foreign reliance on critical minerals essential to defense, technology, and clean energy."

The company has operations in West Virginia, Virginia and Wyoming. Its executive offices are in Lexington, Kentucky. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright's office did not immediately respond to a FOX Business inquiry.

"Wyoming continues to be a leader in energy innovation, including the expansion of our critical mineral industries," Gov. Mark Gordon said in a statement.

"With support from the Energy Matching Funds Program, we are celebrating the exciting potential for Wyoming coal and rare earth minerals, along with their role in the expansion of our state's energy economy," he concluded.