1. Home
  2. Mining

More Mining Stories

Protests against the Resolution Copper mine near Oak Flat have been going for years, as shown in this 2015 file photo from a rally at the Capitol.

San Carlos Apache asks U.S. Supreme Court to take Oak Flat case

The tribe is appealing the ruling of the Arizona Supreme Court.
The Pinyon Plain Mine shaft in Coconino County, on Wednesday, Aug. 30. In 2016, the mine shaft punctured a perched aquifer that contained natural levels of uranium, requiring the mining company Energy Fuels to pump water to the surface to an impoundment for treatment.

Uranium Mining in the Grand Canyon Region: Tribal Sovereignty vs. Nuclear Energy in the Climate Crisis

Uranium mining and nuclear energy may be affecting Arizona's tribal nations, posing threats to the region's water resources and the environmental and cultural heritage connected to them.
Lucy Lavely and Awesta Zarif star in Arizona Theatre Company's production of "Dial M For Murder".

For thrills and suspense, Arizona Theatre Company invites you to "Dial M for Murder".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: How Bisbee Bikeways want to make transportation safer and healthier; and learn the secrets of the Vegan Night Market.
Abbess Victoria Murray, in an image from the documentary film "Final Vows", produced & directed by Victoria Westover.

Final Vows: A documentary on aging, caring and faith

Also on Arizona Spotlight, The Rogue Theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary season and "Stories That Soar!" presents a boy's remembrance of his father.
Ruins in Hualapai Canyon, Hualapai Indian Reservation, Arizona

Lithium drilling project temporarily blocked on sacred tribal lands in Arizona

The case is among the latest legal fights to pit Native American tribes and environmentalists against President Joe Biden’s administration.
Pinyon Plain Mine in Coconino County, on Wednesday, Aug. 30. In 1984, Energy Fuels Nuclear Inc, proposed to recover a uranium ore deposit nine miles south of the Grand Canyon. Formerly known as Canyon Mine, Pinyon Plain mine has not mined uranium ore to this day, due to low commercial uranium prices.

Navajo Nation President stops truck carrying uranium across tribal lands

The uranium ore was being transported to Utah, where the only fully-licensed and operating conventional uranium mill in the United States is.
Deportation of I.W.W. Strikers from Bisbee, Arizona. From the Los Mineros Photograph Collection.

The Buzz: Revisiting an historic Arizona labor dispute

A look back 107 years to the deportation of pro-union miners from Arizona mines.
Sandy Bahr, director of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club (left) and Carletta Tilousi, Havasupai tribal member and leader (right) hand off over 17,000 petition signatures to Governor Katie Hobbs, urging her to shut down the Pinyon Plain uranium mine outside of the Grand Canyon on Thursday, June 27, in Phoenix, Ariz. This follows a letter sent to the governor earlier this year, which requested her action to limit the mine's activities to closure and maintenance activities.

Activists submit 17,000 signatures urging closure of uranium mine near Grand Canyon

Groups like the Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity along with Tribal members say the mine risks drinking water.
The entrance of the South32 Hermosa mine site, a critical minerals project that looks to source manganese and zinc.

Department of Defense awards $20 million to South32 for accelerated manganese production

Funding aims to boost domestic supply and expedite ore delivery by up to two years at the Hermosa Project near Patagonia.
The entrance of the South32 Hermosa mine site, a critical minerals project that looks to source manganese and zinc.

Rep. Grijalva calls for extension of public scoping period for Hermosa Mine Project

He emphasizes importance of language inclusivity in a letter to the US Forest Service.
The entrance of the South32 Hermosa mine site, a critical minerals project that looks to source manganese and zinc.

Forest Service begins public scoping period for South32 Hermosa Mine Project

If approved the mine will supply zinc and manganese.
The shaft tower at the Energy Fuels Inc. uranium Pinyon Plain Mine is shown Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024, near Tusayan, Ariz. The largest uranium producer in the United States is ramping up work just south of Grand Canyon National Park on a long-contested project that largely has sat dormant since the 1980s.

Uranium is being mined near the Grand Canyon as prices soar and the US pushes for more nuclear power

The largest uranium producer in the United States is ramping up work at a mine less than 10 miles from the rim of the Grand Canyon.
One of the pits at the Morenci Mine in eastern Arizona, which has one one of the largest copper reserves in the United States.

Federal government allocates $475 million for clean energy projects on mine lands nationwide

The Morenci and Safford copper mines will recieve some of the funding.
Vicki Lewis starring as Maria Callas in Arizona Theatre Company's production of "Master Class"

The life and loves of virtuoso Maria Callas explored in the play "Master Class".

Also on Arizona Spotlight: The International Uranium Film Festival returns to Tucson; the comedy of Elliot Glicksman; and "Stories That Soar!" looks at how children cope with depression.
Oak Flat, near where a copper mine is proposed, is dotted with rugged boulders and desert vegetation.

How Apache Stronghold's fight to protect Oak Flat in central Arizona has played out over the years

Resolution Copper, a subsidiary of international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP, wants to develop the large deposit of copper ore deep under Oak Flat into a massive mine.
Protests against the Resolution Copper mine near Oak Flat have been going for years, as shown in this 2015 file photo from a rally at the Capitol.

A US appeals court ruling could allow mine development on Oak Flat, land sacred to Apaches

Wendsler Nosie, who has led Apache Stronghold’s fight, vowed to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Selected Archive Filters

Mining
Back to Top
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona