A 2015 spill that turned the waterway orange is a reminder of mining’s disastrous legacy.
Mining
Posted inArticles
Bears Ears is open for business
A reporter staked a mining claim on former monument lands. You could, too.
Posted inArticles
At Bears Ears, Trump and Zinke ignored everyone but industry
Newly released documents show that locals had little voice in monument decisions.
Posted inMarch 19, 2018: Desert, Divided
Latest: Berkeley Pit cleanup ahead of schedule
The EPA will begin treating the pit’s toxic water five years earlier than planned.
Posted inFebruary 19, 2018: Unfrozen North
Latest: EPA puts brakes on Pebble Mine proposal
Agency says risks to fisheries and natural resources justify gathering more data.
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In a shuttered mill, a Montana town sees business potential
Frenchtown is waiting on a Superfund designation to clean up toxic remnants.
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Trump’s message for tribes: Let them eat yellowcake
The president’s Bears Ears decision has toxic implications.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
Latest: The EPA drops mine cleanup proposal
Obama-era plan required mining companies to prove they can pay for remediation.
Posted inDecember 25, 2017: Bear Essentials
What could be lost in a push for mining in monuments
In Grand Staircase-Escalante, coal and fossils lie side by side.
Posted inOctober 2, 2017: Following Ancient Footsteps
Sally Jewell defends Interior Department legacy
As Obama’s policies are rolled back, his last Interior secretary reviews what’s at stake.
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The West’s latest prospecting frenzy? Extraterrestrial gold.
Companies are hunting for lithium near Moab, Utah.
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Amid monument review, a pro-energy Interior emerges
Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke is filling his office with extractive industry insiders.
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Don’t let this uranium mill repeat history
The White Mesa Mill’s license is up for renewal under the Trump administration.
Posted inJune 12, 2017: The Big Swing
See photos that illustrate the cost of building Alaska’s Pebble Mine
Carl Johnson’s photography shows the bay ‘where water is gold.’
Posted inJune 12, 2017: The Big Swing
Eight lawmakers whose bills attack public lands
Who are the Westerners behind bills meant to weaken federal protections of land?
Posted inArticles
The Interior Department orders a review of sage grouse plans
Some Western governors warn against an overhaul of the sweeping 2015 efforts.
Posted inArticles
The Trump administration’s false coal stats, explained
Enviro chief Scott Pruitt’s coal job numbers aren’t even close to accurate.
Posted inArticles
Trump’s loyalty to coal is bad for taxpayers
A Colorado mine is an example of industry benefiting at the public’s expense.
Posted inJune 12, 2017: The Big Swing
Latest: Settlement resurrects Alaska’s Pebble Mine
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the project must pass muster for salmon.
Posted inMay 29, 2017: The Cost of a Comeback
Latest: Coal giant emerges from bankruptcy
Peabody is benefiting from the natural gas price hike.