Are Coal and clean energy still at odds??

It might sound like a contradiction, but today’s guest is proving that innovation often comes from the most unexpected places - in this case, Coal Mines.

Listen in as Nico sits down with Mark LaVerghetta, co-founder of ReElement Technologies, a company turning the coal industry on its head by extracting critical minerals from coal’s waste stream — and doing it cleaner and cheaper than China. Born from a contrarian bet on distressed coal assets, ReElement is now on the frontlines of the U.S. effort to onshore mineral refining and reduce our dependence on geopolitically fragile supply chains.

“We're never going to outdo China by trying to repeat and replicate China.” - Mark LaVerghetta

We were all skeptical about this episode.  “Should we bring on a coal industry executive? Is this really a clean energy technology, or just greenwashing?” Nico was very intentional about learning as much as possible to guide the discussion, and as a result our Producer said “This Is The Most Interesting Episode of the Year!” 

Mark reveals how his team transformed environmental liabilities into valuable resources, using patented tech to separate rare earth metals with unprecedented efficiency—and far less environmental harm.

Expect to learn:

🔹 Why metallurgical coal still matters in the clean energy economy
🔹 How ReElement is beating China at its own game—without toxic waste
🔹 What makes critical minerals “critical” (and how the U.S. can produce them)
🔹 How entrepreneurial risk-taking turned coal waste into national security assets

This one’s dense—but powerful. If you’re a visual thinker, head to our YouTube version with added visuals to better understand the process.

RESOURCES:

Connect with Mark LaVerghetta:

• LinkedIn

Check out ReElement Technologies:

• ‍Website | LinkedIn | X | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram

“Rare earth elements are not rare. They’re actually more abundant than gold, silver, copper, a lot of these things.” - Mark LaVerghetta