Coosa County Road 29

Siri Hedreen / The Outlook

The Coosa Project mine is set back several miles from County Road 29 near Rockford.

Graphite, a critical mineral in the green economy accounting for 200 pounds of the weight of a Tesla, currently sits untapped a stone's throw from Coosa County Road 29.

The location is one of two graphite deposits in the United States currently being developed for commercial use — one in a craggy landscape 40 miles north of Nome, Alaska and the other just northwest of Rockford. Colorado-based Westwater Resources owns exclusive mineral rights to that 42,000-acre tract, dubbed "The Coosa Project."

Coosa County Road 29

Siri Hedreen / The Outlook

The Coosa Wildlife Management Area trail climbs through a stretch of Alabama's graphite belt.

Coosa County Road 29

Siri Hedreen / The Outlook 

Coosa County Road 29

Siri Hedreen / The OutlookÂ