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On Tuesday, federal officials are holding a public meeting in Flagstaff to hear comments regarding the proposed 1.1-million-acre Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Among other things, it would make permanent an existing mining moratorium in the area.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration issued 335 violations in April at 20 mines across 15 states. Mines in the Mountain West accounted for 83 of the violations, 17 of which were considered "significant and substantial."

The Bureau of Land Management will extend the public comment period through July 5 on a proposal to elevate conservation on its lands. The announcement follows significant pushback from conservatives, energy companies and ranchers in the Mountain West

The batteries in your cell phone, the glass in solar panels and other important materials all depend on rare earth minerals. That’s leading to a new mining rush in the West.

Late last week, Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva and New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich introduced the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act. It would make a number of changes to the Mining Law of 1872, including the collection of royalties from hardrock mining.

Backers of the project say it would provide essential materials to build electric vehicles and address the climate crisis, but a coalition of Native American tribes is fighting against it.

Rare earth elements are a set of 17 silvery white metals with names mostly unknown to the general public, like neodymium and gadolinium. But the mining industry is spending millions of dollars looking for deposits throughout the Mountain West.

Environmental concerns over drainage from abandoned mining sites unite senators from both sides of the aisle.

Sundown towns once drove out people of color or prohibited them from living within city limits. This practice started in the late 19th century, but the impact continues today. In Colorado, Chinese immigrants flocked to the state to find gold. They were tolerated in some mining camps and run out of others.

Some estimate the lithium-ion battery market will be worth more than $100 billion by 2027. There are millions tons of lithium in Nevada, but mining for the metal may be cause for environmental concern across the Mountain West.