The act is the New Deal redux, with a splash of ecosystem restoration.
Mining
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The hunt for critical minerals in Colorado raises critical questions
When Earth MRI began surveying, residents grew concerned about the prospect of mining.
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Nevada’s Thacker Pass highlights how federal courts routinely dismiss Indigenous concerns
‘These legal systems are not set up for Indigenous people at all.’
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Climate change increases rare earth elements in Colorado’s Snake River
A new study suggests lower stream flows as a primary culprit.
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Federal judge allows excavation work on Native massacre site
The decision could shape the way electric vehicles are powered.
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Anxiety and hope in wildfire-prone Oregon
How might we live in the reality of our climate?
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How yellowcake shaped the West
The ghosts of the uranium boom continue to haunt the land, water and people.
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Still wild: A mining project divides a community
In Haines, Alaska, concern for a fragile ecosystem confronts the prospect of well-paying jobs.
Posted inJuly 1, 2021: An Urban Greenspace Revolution
Mining for lithium, at a cost to Indigenous religions
In western Arizona, the push for EVs threatens the Hualapai Tribe’s religious practices.
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Captured methane can address climate change and offset electricity costs
As coal mines continue to close, there’s a use for the greenhouse gas that continues seeping from operations.
Posted inApril 1, 2021: Holding Fast
Idaho state lands could end up in private hands
How a developer’s proposed large land swap ignited a fight in small but growing McCall.
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Put unemployed miners and drillers back to work in restoration
There’s economic development in reclaiming coal mines and plugging idled wells.
Posted inMarch 1, 2021: The Rough Road Ahead
Nevada lithium mine kicks off a new era of Western extraction
The hastily approved project went forward without comment from the Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe.
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Alaskans pursue permanent protections for Bristol Bay
‘It’s time to put Pebble to rest.’
Posted inFebruary 1, 2021: End of the Line
In Arizona, fighting a copper mine planned on sacred land
Oak Flat has been an important location to Indigenous peoples for millennia.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
The battle for the Black Hills
Nick Tilsen was arrested for protesting President Trump at Mount Rushmore. Now, his legal troubles are part of a legacy.
Posted inJanuary 1, 2021: No Place Like Home
When COVID hit, a Colorado county kicked out second-home owners. They hit back.
How a group of nonresident homeowners tried to influence a rural Colorado election.
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Pebble Mine permit denied by Trump administration
The Army Corps of Engineers “concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest.”
Posted inOctober 1, 2020: Democracy's Frayed Western Front
Energy dominance or climate action: Trump, Biden and the fate of public lands
In Grand Junction, Colorado, the presidential election is a choice between two distinct energy futures.
Posted inNovember 1, 2020: When the Smoke Clears
Once a boom town, now a ghost town. Always a hometown.
Over generations, the Soto family has lived through cycles of mining booms and the broken promises that come with them.