Feature Stories
Commentary: Mining is No Cakewalk in Alaska, Give Pebble a Fair Shot
June 2, 2014
Bruce Switzer recently poked Pebble and mining in the eye (compass, May 23) so I would like to offer additional context about these issues. First we need to understand that mining in Alaska is a tough business. Always has been
How Coal Fueled the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia
June 2, 2014
Sometime before 1829, Sultan Mahmud II (r. 1808-1839) sent forth a decree throughout all the lands of the Ottoman Empire offering to award anyone who could discover coal. As the story goes, Uzun Mehmed served in the Ottoman naval yards
Journey Through the Mining Camps of Cookes Peak in New Mexico Where Mineral Riches Once Thrived
May 9, 2014
The Cookes Range is located northeast of Deming in Luna County. It is dominated by a single large peak, known as Cookes Peak. This peak is named after General Cooke, who led the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican-American War, and
Obama Admits His Climate Agenda Won’t Curb Global Warming
May 8, 2014
President Barack Obama admitted in an interview with The New Yorker that his plan to lower U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by banning new coal plants would do little to curb global warming since developing countries like China and India will
Hong Kong’s Forgotten Mining Past Emerges from the Darkness to Preserve Its Culture and Heritage
May 8, 2014
A near-forgotten slice of Hong Kong’s history came back to life yesterday as about 60 residents of a former mining village in Ma On Shan gathered for a reunion in their old village church. Though Hong Kong’s past as a
Is EPA Rulemaking Hurting Technology Innovation?
April 21, 2014
Some top technology firms are expressing concern about U.S. EPA’s proposed rules to limit power plant carbon emissions, questioning whether they will truly encourage innovation. Pro-coal groups, including the National Mining Association and the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity,
Chile Creates Mining Tourist Route
April 18, 2014
Beaches, mountains, desert and the Patagonia are some of Chile’s biggest tourist attractions. But in 2015, the country will add a new one: mines in Chile’s northern region, such as Chuquicamata — the largest surface mine in the world that’s
Transforming Mining and Mine Safety with Robots and Drones
April 7, 2014
Mines without miners? Not quite. Still, a technology boom in robots, drones, driverless trucks and pilotless trains is beginning to reshape one of the world’s most labor-intensive industries, portending automation of logistics, supply chains and mapping and allowing development of
It’s a Long Way Down at Mines in South Africa
April 7, 2014
For those who grumble about their daily commute, imagine this ride to work: clamber into an elevator cage and plummet 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) into the earth, so fast that ears pop from the changing air pressure. Then board a
Inside ‘Big Coal Country’ as Coal-fired Energy Demand Returns
April 3, 2014
Montana often is known as “big sky country.” But ask any local, and they’ll tell you the phrase “big coal country” is just as fitting. Along with Wyoming, Montana is home to the Powder River Basin — a region that
