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Committees in the U.S. House and Senate recently discussed abandoned mine policies, with some lawmakers calling for faster rollouts of federal money for cleanups.
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A nonprofit conservation group has purchased a mining claim near the border of Yellowstone National Park, fending off development of a gold mine.
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A recent U.S. House hearing that centered on a relatively unknown segment of federal energy policy quickly evolved into a discussion on how much the government should prioritize mining.
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A group led by the Interior Department has released recommendations to reform mining practices on public lands.
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American Rare Earths plans to drill more this month at its Halleck Creek site in Albany and Platte counties. They’re looking for evidence of minerals like neodymium and praseodymium, which are highly desirable magnet metals used in products like cell phone batteries.
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Black Jewel was a coal company that operated in four states – Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming – and this July marked the fourth anniversary of the company filing for bankruptcy. Many miners in all four states had no notice and were left without paychecks or jobs. Award-winning journalist Ken Ward Jr. is based in West Virginia and has followed the story of Black Jewel. He recently published a story for ProPublica about the company’s mishandling, specifically in the Appalachian region. He spoke with Wyoming Public Radio’s Caitlin Tan.
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The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued 335 violations in April at 20 mines across 15 states. Mines in the Mountain West accounted for 83 of the violations, 17 of which were considered "significant and substantial."
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U.S. support for nuclear power is the highest it's been in a decade. And there are a number of proposals for new plants in our region. That could mean an uptick in domestic uranium mining.
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The batteries in your cell phone, the glass in solar panels and other important materials all depend on rare earth minerals. That’s leading to a new mining rush in the West.
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Late last week, Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva and New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich introduced the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act. It would make a number of changes to the Mining Law of 1872, including the collection of royalties from hardrock mining.