Upstream mining has left a toxic legacy at the bottom of Coeur d’Alene Lake.
Mining
Posted inArticles
Interior Department’s coal reboot ignores tribes and curtails public input
The Obama administration wanted to rethink coal leasing; now, Trump is rushing forward.
Posted inJune 24, 2019: Losing Lake Coeur d'Alene
Mining laws have long been used for recreation
In Idaho, a law meant to boost mining actually allows for its end as recreation transforms the West’s economy.
Posted inJune 10, 2019: 'None of this happened the way you think it did'
The hidden consequences of New Mexico’s latest oil boom
Carlsbad residents are experiencing health impacts, but the science behind their woes lags behind the pace of drilling.
Posted inMay 27, 2019: Public Pushback
Will the Trump administration boost uranium?
Energy industry lobbying could lead to more mining from Bears Ears to Wyoming.
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Trump administration rubber stamps Arizona copper mine
An industry-friendly ruling contradicts years of concerns over potential damage to endangered species, water systems and Native American cultural sites.
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Russian investors are keen on Nevada’s copper
Demand for clean cars is causing an uptick in copper mining in the West, but at what cost?
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Mining companies pollute waterways. Citizens pay.
Nearly 2 billion pounds of toxic waste were dumped into western waterways in 2017, and taxpayers are left to clean up the mess.
Posted inNovember 26, 2018: Follow the fish
Critics skeptical of mining company’s plans for restoration
Midas Gold hopes to reopen and revitalize an abandoned gold mining site in Idaho.
Posted inOctober 29, 2018: When your neighborhood goes BOOM
Latest: Supreme Court upholds Grand Canyon uranium mining ban
A twenty-year moratorium on uranium extraction in northern Arizona will stand.
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Zinke announces mining ban near Yellowstone
Locals and some conservationists applaud; others cry favoritism by the Montanan.
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An Alaska ballot measure could kill Pebble Mine
In November, voters will decide how to balance resource development and salmon habitat protections.
Posted inSeptember 17, 2018: The Pioneer of Ruin
Photos: Above a Western waste land
A photo collection of 67 Superfund sites shows landscapes vandalized by mines and nuclear plants.
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Mining protections lapse on one of Oregon’s wildest rivers
The Department of Interior’s failure to extend restrictions exposes the weaknesses of a key environmental law.
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Rural railroads are more important than your new trails
Converting rails to trails can hurt economies and make it harder to battle blazes.
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New EPA head has long history of ties to mining interests
Watchdog groups worry Andrew Wheeler will advance an agenda of deregulation.
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The future of Alaska’s Pebble Mine — and its salmon
A timeline shows Scott Pruitt’s EPA waffling between mining and fishing interests.
Posted inJuly 23, 2018: Pay for Prey
An owl fly-by prompts a second look at an Arizona mine
Wildlife managers revisit the impact of an expanding mining operation.
Posted inJune 25, 2018: Little Weed, Big Problem
A new era of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon?
With scant data on risk, Republicans push to open a ‘perfect’ mining opportunity.
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We need to fix up roads and bridges — not mines
Federal officials may add mining to a law that fast-tracks infrastructure permitting.