Feature Stories
Mining is Critical to a Sustainable 21st-Century Economy
August 7, 2018
Human civilization was built on mining and the hard work of miners, often the most exploitative industry in any society. So it’s not hard to understand why many Minnesotans have an instinctive distrust of the mining industry. However, the recent
New Alabama Coal Miners Have High Hopes as They Head Underground for First Time
August 6, 2018
Though it was more than 43 years ago, Gerald Kimes can tell you without batting an eye, the exact date he first went underground to work in an Alabama coal mine. For 15 new miners, who graduated from a four-week
Utah’s Idled Dream Mine Carries a Spiritual Past
July 31, 2018
Kevin Kraut stood outside the Veteran’s Memorial Building in Spanish Fork May 14, handing out pamphlets to the hundreds of people headed into the annual Relief Mine Co.’s stakeholder meeting. “DREAM MINE,” the pamphlet proclaimed in all-caps on a mustard-yellow
Nolan E. Hertel: Coal and Nuclear Still Powering Georgia
July 25, 2018
With blackouts seen as a real threat this summer in Texas and California due to the increasing use of less dependable solar and wind sources, the last thing we need is an energy policy that makes renewables rise in use
Rebuild the U.S. Minerals Supply Chain Before It’s Too Late
July 20, 2018
As the possibility of a full-blown trade war with China looms over the economy, it’s important to understand the pressure points that Beijing could push to exert leverage against the U.S. And the nation’s Achilles’ heel could very well be
Montana’s Enormous Mineral Potential Ready to Be Unleashed
July 17, 2018
Our country has a great abundance of mineral resources used to manufacture goods of all kinds. For weapons systems and consumer electronics, the value alone is estimated at $6.2 trillion; however, because cumbersome regulations and permitting processes hamper mining, we
Wyoming Town Gillette Looks at New Uses for Coal
July 2, 2018
Coal has driven Wyoming’s economy for decades — the state sits on a rich abundance of coal reserves. But the world is slowly moving away from coal as other forms of energy have become cheaper and environmental concerns mount. Coal
Dangerous Dependence on China for Critical Minerals Runs Deep
July 2, 2018
Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, determined that the United States’ economic and military security depend upon 35 essential minerals. Unfortunately, our nation is import-reliant on 30 out of 35. Most alarmingly, we rely on one country — China —
India’s Mission to Find and Mine Futuristic Nuclear Fuel on the Moon Is About to Launch
June 28, 2018
India’s space program wants to go where no nation has gone before — to the south side of the moon. And once it gets there, it will study the potential for mining a source of waste-free nuclear energy that could
Father’s Day has Special Meaning for Father-Son Duos Working at Donkin Coal Mine
June 19, 2018
Just in time for Father’s Day, five sets of fathers and sons have been unearthed at Donkin Mine. One of those duos is Chris Thomson, 34, of Reserve Mines, and his father Willie Thomson, 59. “I’ve worked with my father
