ELK CREEK, Neb. (AP) — The Canadian mining firm exploring a Nebraska deposit of a rare mineral used to make steel plans to meet with landowners Wednesday.

NioCorp Developments says top officials from the company will update landowners on the project and talk about their plans for the next year.

NioCorp resumed drilling samples from beneath the ground near Elk Creek last month for the first time since 2011. There are two drilling rigs working on the site.

The U.S. imports nearly all the niobium that’s used in this country to harden steel and make it more heat-resistant for industrial uses.

NioCorp previously estimated that more than 100 tons of niobium rests several hundred feet below the ground, but it’s not yet clear whether a mine will be built.