NPR ventures into a Colombian emerald mine — which used to be more dangerous, with potential explosions inside and gunfights outside. The CEO, a former U.S. diplomat, says he wanted to change that.
The promised surge in clean-energy jobs from the growing popularity of electric vehicles in the U.S. is mostly focused farther down the supply chain, like at battery assembly plants.
Photos show the desperate search for scraps left by big diamond operators. But amid rampant poverty and unemployment, zama-zamas see no other way to provide for their families.
A proposal to mine for titanium dioxide near the state's Okefenokee Swamp is attracting controversy. Alabama company Twin Pines has applied for a permit to extract minerals near the freshwater wetland and wildlife refuge — the largest blackwater wetland in North America — and residents, politicians and environmental advocates are pushing back to protect the Okefenokee.
Fishermen and tribes have been fighting the mine proposal for a decade, fearing it would harm the wild sockeye salmon at the heart of the area's economy and culture.
Decades of mining for jade has left the landscape desolate. Local activists want to make a change — but can they stand up to the powerful companies that dominate the industry?
A company from Alabama wants to mine for heavy minerals in South Georgia, near the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. The Army Corps of Engineers is...
