mining

Before the federal government shut down on Wednesday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said it would team up with Mountain West states to study mine waste for critical minerals. Trump administration officials hope the effort will strengthen national security and support emerging technologies.

A new report shows tens of thousands of abandoned mines dot the U.S., including parts of the Mountain West. Experts say these sites pose pollution threats due to being in areas that are at high risk for flooding.

The Trump administration’s proposed budget bill would cut funding to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) by nearly 40%, including grants to universities. That could affect funding relied on by survey offices in several Mountain West states.

Very few know about Wyoming’s biggest export and how it’s produced. And yet, there’s a mini-underground world below the desert of Green River. Wyoming Public Radio brings you an audio tour of trona mining.

Wyoming is projected to gain 8,000 jobs by 2026, led by the tourism, construction, and healthcare sectors, while the mining sector continues its long-term decline.

The goal is to boost domestic mining of lithium and other minerals officials say are critical to national security and the economy.

As northwest Colorado loses coal jobs and dollars, a small group is raising the possibility of nuclear waste storage as a replacement. Community leaders in coal country have mixed feelings about the idea.

James Kincaid moved his family over 1,000 miles to join Wyoming’s mining sector and nab a resident elk tag. Two months later, he was laid off.

The legislation creates a pilot program under the Environmental Protection Agency that allows nonprofits, governments or landowners to clean up old mines without taking on the risk.

Conservationists and tribes in the Mountain West say they intend to sue the federal government if it doesn’t take steps to protect a rare snail that is threatened by a proposed lithium mine.