Featured in mining
Can Idaho’s newest cobalt mine dig responsibly?
After millions in environmental cleanup, Idaho’s cobalt hotspot is welcoming its first new mining outfit in 40 years. Can it dig up the essential metal without leaving a trace?
Inside the high-powered process that could recycle rare earth metals
It takes some tricky chemistry to mine industrial waste and old electronics for critical rare earths.
There’s a new gold rush in the American West. But is it safe?
Demand for gold has risen in recent years, but the environmental cost of mining remains high.
Is this the end of the controversial Boundary Waters mine leases?
Conservation groups are cheering Biden's decision against a proposed mine near America’s most visited wilderness.
The US government is hunting for rare metals out West. That doesn’t fly with some locals.
A rush to map mineral deposits has residents in one Colorado town concerned about environmental destruction.
North America’s biggest salmon run may no longer be in danger
While the denial of the Pebble Mine permit is largely good news, Bristol Bay still needs permanent protections.
These rock-eating microbes could help us settle the Moon and Mars
They could extract elements needed for farming and engineering.
How 25 chinchillas could save a mountain
In Chile, a rare rodent sits atop 3.5 million ounces of extractable gold. Now a mining company is trying to trap and move them.
COVID-19 raises the stakes for environmental activists in Colombia
The Indigenous Wayuu people have long battled the Cerrejón coal mine. Now a shortage of water and spike in disease are pushing the community to seek international help.