Relations for the Bear Lodge Rare-Earths Project

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TSX-V: RES AMEX: REE




VANCOUVER, Feb. 16 /CNW/ - Rare Element Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: RES)
(AMEX: REE) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the appointment of
Mr. George G. Byers as Vice President - Government and Community
Relations. In this role he will lead an initiative to foster community
and government support for the development and production of rare
earths at the Bear Lodge Project, Wyoming.




As a consultant, Mr. Byers has contributed significantly for a number of
months to the initiative begun by the Company in the spring of 2010. He
is a 35-year mining and energy industry veteran with extensive
executive experience in federal, state and local government relations.
He has worked extensively in a variety of settings including dealing
with public policy issues involved with mineral exploration, project
siting and development, land use and public affairs issues in the
Western United States.




During his career, Mr. Byers served as vice president of the coal mining
unit of Public Service Company of New Mexico, and as vice president of
public affairs and communications for Santa Fe Pacific Gold prior to
its acquisition by Newmont Mining Company. He has held executive
positions in the uranium industry with Rio Algom Mining and Cameco
Corporation's US uranium production unit. At Louisiana Energy Services
he successfully built the case for siting in New Mexico what has become
America's first commercial gas centrifuge uranium enrichment facility.
Mr. Byers comes to Rare Element Resources from Neutron Energy Inc., a
privately held uranium development company with interests in New Mexico
and Wyoming. He has been a consultant to the precious metals, rare
earths, copper, and uranium industries on a variety of public and
government issues.




Mr. Byers is a former president of the Northwest Mining Association, and
serves on the boards of directors of the Mountain States Legal
Foundation, the Citizens' Alliance for Responsible Energy (CARE), the
University of Mississippi Engineering School Advisory Board and the
Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute. He is a graduate of the
University of Mississippi, a Vietnam veteran, an Army Ranger and a
former Army Infantry Officer.




Dr. Donald E. Ranta, President and CEO of Rare Element Resources,
states, "George is a solid strategic addition as we continue building
our project development team for the Bear Lodge Project. His
background in Wyoming plus his experience and proven ability to educate
and build community and government acceptance for important natural
resources projects will help us immensely as we move Bear Lodge through
the pre-feasibility, feasibility, and permitting phases into
construction and production of rare-earth elements."




Rare Element Resources Ltd (TSX-V: RES & AMEX: REE) is a publicly traded mineral resource company focused on exploration and
development of rare-earth elements and gold on the Bear Lodge property.




Rare-earth elements are key components of the green energy technologies
and other high-technology applications. Some of the major applications
include hybrid automobiles, plug-in electric automobiles, advanced wind
turbines, computer hard drives, compact fluorescent light bulbs, metal
alloys, additives in ceramics and glass, petroleum cracking catalysts,
and a number of critical military applications. China currently
produces more than 95% of the 130,000 metric tonnes of rare-earths
consumed annually worldwide, and China has been reducing its exports of
rare earths each year. The rare-earth market is growing rapidly, and is
projected to accelerate if the green technologies are implemented on a
broad scale.




ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD




Donald E. Ranta, PhD, PGeo, President & CEO




Donald E. Ranta, PhD, PGeo, serves the Board of Directors of the Company
as an internal, technically Qualified Person. Technical information in
this news release has been reviewed by Dr. Ranta and has been prepared
in accordance with Canadian regulatory requirements that are set out in
National Instrument 43-101. This news release was prepared by Company
management, who take full responsibility for content. Neither TSX
Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is
defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts
responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.




For further information:

For information, refer to the Company's website at http://www.rareelementresources.com/">www.rareelementresources.com or contact: Mark T Brown, CFO, (604) 687-3520 ext 242 [email protected] . Donald E Ranta, (604) 687-3520 [email protected]