Feature Stories
Inside the High-powered Process that Could Recycle Rare Earth Metals
February 14, 2022
Look in the second row from the bottom of most periodic tables, and you’ll find the lanthanides, split off from an archive of elements that doesn’t know what to do them. The lanthanides are a close-knit bunch that are hard
U.S. Carbon Pipeline Proposals Trigger Backlash Over Potential Land Seizures
February 8, 2022
A flurry of proposed carbon pipelines in the U.S. Midwest has triggered a battle over whether companies behind the projects should be allowed to seize land from unwilling property owners to secure a route. Hundreds of Iowa landowners, more than
After Twin Metals Mining Lease Cancellation, Ely Residents Weigh Future
January 31, 2022
This northwoods town is quiet and closed up for the winter — no throngs of tourists, the snowy streets largely empty. But there’s a range of emotions running among residents from hope and excitement to angry defiance. The Biden administration’s
What (if anything) Does a Deal with Tesla Mean for Tamarack Mining Project in Northern Minnesota?
January 20, 2022
One of the selling points for several proposed copper and nickel mines in Minnesota has been that the metal can help power green technology like solar panels, electric vehicles, and windmills. But that possibility has always been somewhat hypothetical, or
Coal Companies Donate Time and Material to Rehabilitate Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine, W.Va.
January 19, 2022
For the past two weeks, the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine has been busy with activity, but it’s not from tourists. Instead, the sights and sounds coming from the mine are more what people would expect to hear from an active
Recycling Plant Aims to Turn U.S. Coal Country Into Rare Earth Powerhouse
January 18, 2022
HG Ventures, an investment arm of The Heritage Group, and American Rare Earth, a subsidiary of the American Resources Corporation, are teaming up to scale up the recycling of batteries, magnets, and e-waste with the goal of recovering and supplying
Plunging Temps Remind New England of Cold, Hard Truth: Grid Still Relies on Coal and Oil
January 17, 2022
Energy sector officials have been warning for years about the risks posed to New England’s grid by plunging temperatures, risks exacerbated by anti-energy-infrastructure policies across the region. Now with New England facing its coldest temperatures since the “polar vortex” of
The Grid Crisis is Only Getting Worse
January 6, 2022
The New Year has arrived with bitter cold and winter storms that left almost 1 million households without power along the East Coast. The reliability of the nation’s energy systems is being tested once again and there is ever-growing concern
Arizona’s Mining Industry Faces Stiff Challenge in the Race for Rare Earth Elements
January 3, 2022
Arizona has a long history as a mining haven, but as new technology demands new mixes of material inputs, the state may soon play a role in the international race for rare earth elements, or REEs. There are 17 rare
Wyoming Funds Carbon Capture Research in Hopes of Preserving Its Coal Industry
December 21, 2021
As Colorado transitions away from coal to renewable energy, neighboring Wyoming is investing in research and technology that officials hope will preserve its coal industry while also meeting carbon emission reduction goals. In 2014, the Wyoming Legislature appropriated $15 million
