("rare earth" metals), but by darn-it, it's not oil!

"Samples of rare earth elements are converted to glass discs inside the testing building at the Molycorp Minerals Mountain Pass Mine in Mountain Pass, California August 19, 2009. The open-pit mine at Mountain Pass, California, holds the world's richest proven reserve of "rare earth" metals, a family of minerals vital to producing the powerful, lightweight magnets used in the engines of Toyota Motor Corp's Prius and other hybrid vehicles as well as generators in wind turbines." REUTERS/David Becker