Feature Stories
Digital Technology Leads to Significant Changes in Mining Operations
October 21, 2019
Technology is embraced as a new way of mining as much as it is a new way of life. Vanessa Zhou speaks with mining experts in Australia and Sweden to get a closer look on how it’s been integrated. Digital
Coal-Heavy Wyoming Aims to Lead on Carbon Capture
October 15, 2019
Barely a wisp of water vapor streams from the smokestack into the clear morning sky at the Dry Fork Station power plant outside Gillette, Wyoming. Built in 2011, Dry Fork is “a great example of what a new, modern coal
Ghost Hunters Spend Night in Colorado Gold Mine
October 14, 2019
Darkness swallowed me the deeper I crept inside a former Breckenridge gold mine, but my other senses heightened. Water droplets slipping from ore-bearing rock above plunked on my hard hat. Mice skittered across a bygone minecart track below my feet.
Climate Emergency? Not Here, Not Now!
October 10, 2019
Earlier this year, the UK Parliament declared a climate emergency. They are not the only ones: half of the UK’s principal local authorities have done the same. Meanwhile the Committee on Climate Change claims that extreme weather events are increasing,
Commentary: Colowyo’s Collom Coal Mine Expansion an Economic Asset for Colorado
October 8, 2019
In a national news cycle filled with bad news about coal, it’s good to see a bit of good news here locally when it comes to the industry that helped make Moffat County and Craig. Colowyo is growing its surface
Can Blockchain Solve China Monopoly Problems Facing the DRC’s Mining Sector?
October 7, 2019
Cobalt is critical to the future of multiple industries but mining operations in the DRC are fraught with supply chain concerns that have agitated the market, while a single country threatens to hold the mineral’s trade to ransom after establishing
Can San Juan Generating Station Become Model for Carbon Capture?
October 3, 2019
The city of Farmington has signed an agreement for Enchant Energy Corp. to acquire 95 percent interest of the San Juan Generating Station, a move that could extend the life of the power plant past a scheduled 2022 closure but
Who is FM Coal and Why Does it Want Blackjewel’s Coal Mines?
October 1, 2019
In the heart of the Powder River Basin, just off Wyoming Highway 59, a pair of the nation’s largest coal mines have become what some are calling “zombie” mines. Once ranked as the fourth- and sixth- highest producing mines in
NASA Astronaut Eyes Moon Jackpot, Ranging from Space Mining to Polar Ice
September 30, 2019
From mining clean energy to harnessing polar ice for rocket fuel propellant, America’s return to the moon could unlock a vast trove of space resources, according to NASA astronaut Drew Feustel. NASA’s Artemis program aims to land American astronauts on
Can Artificial Intelligence Be Used to Improve Coal Plant Profitability?
September 24, 2019
Can artificial intelligence be employed to boost coal power usage? One chemical engineer at West Virginia University is tapping into artificial intelligence to improve the profitability and flexibility of coal-fired power plants. Debangsu Bhattacharyya has received a $2.5-million grant from
