EARTHblog

Today, Congressman Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) and others introduced the Hardrock Leasing and Reclamation Act of 2018. This bill gives Americans more choice in how land managers balance hardrock mining with other uses of public lands.  President… More »

Thank you Mr. Chairman, Ranking Member Lowenthal, and Members of the Subcommittee for the opportunity to testify before you in opposition to HR 520, the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act. My name is Aaron Mintzes, and I am… More »

On December 20, 2017, the President issued an executive order (EO) pressuring regulators for faster permitting of so-called ‘critical minerals’ mines. This EO cloaks the negative community impacts of mining under a shroud of national security. Less a document over where we… More »

President Trump announced this week his decision to destroy two national monuments: Grand Staircase-Escalante and Bears Ears in Utah. This is the largest rollback of protections for treasured public lands in American history. The purpose: a giant giveaway to the oil, gas, and… More »

This week, Rep. Cartwright (D-PA), DeGette (D-CO), Polis (D-CO), and Schakowsky (D-IL) introduced the Safe Energy Future Plan, a suite of bills providing critical protections to communities by closing oil and gas industry loopholes in our bedrock environmental laws.

February 20 should have marked the comment deadline on the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE or the “Corps”) decision whether to grant an easement for of a portion of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Except the President ended comments early

Draining the swamp in Washington, D.C., the newly sworn in Congressional majority has wasted no time targeting critical Obama Administration rules designed to protect public health, the environment, foster transparency, and combat corruption. Using an obscure law called the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can pass and the President can sign resolutions of disapproval that effectively undo the rules finalized during the latter days of the Obama era. Obscure, because, Congress has only once before successfully used this procedure- to undo a Department of Labor rule requiring ergonomic chairs in workplaces.

Mining is risky business. Some major international mining companies have billions of dollars of investment at stake in their project portfolios. Last week, Ernst & Young (E&Y) released their annual Business Risks Facing Mining and Metals report. Topping this year’s list are concepts laden with financial jargon like cash optimization and capital access. Related listed challenges involve techniques for penny pinching or turning some money in to more money. Yet, E&Y’s report also reveals some of the greatest risks mining companies and their investors face having nothing to do with markets, commodity prices, or the boom and bust cycle. In fact, in any economy, these major risks are completely avoidable.