What exactly is fracking anyway? Check out this short animated explainer from Marketplace for a quick download.
Oil and Mining
The environmental legacy of oil and mining booms across the U.S. and around the world
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
Earthquake hazard forecasts upgraded for Oklahoma, 7 other states
The U.S. Geological Survey is planning to significantly upgrade its forecasts of seismic hazards in places such as Oklahoma that have seen dramatic increases in earthquakes since 2009.
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
Oklahoma unveils new wastewater restrictions as quakes keep coming
Oklahoma officials are beefing up their regulation of the injection of wastewater from oil and gas into deep layers of rock that scientists blame for an explosion of earthquakes.
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
Hey, California: Oklahoma had 3 times as many earthquakes in 2014
Earthquakes are synonymous with California to most Americans, but other states are seeing more earthquakes likely triggered by human activity.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
Obama wants to end the mining industry’s free ride on public land
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed a host of new fees for mining on public land as part of President Barack Obama’s 2016 budget.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
FRONTLINE/CIR exposed how public lands are still ruled by 1872 mining law
In 1994, The Center for Investigative Reporting teamed up with FRONTLINE to produce the documentary, “Public Lands, Private Profits.” Eleven years later, it’s clear that not much about the 19th century mining law has changed.
Posted inEnvironment, Lords of Yesterday, Oil and Mining
Foreign-owned mines operate royalty-free under outdated US law
This “lords of yesterday” policy, created in 1872 in an era of Western expansion, still governs how people and companies prospect and mine for certain minerals on public lands.
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
The surprising reason abandoned US mines haven’t been cleaned up
The worst of America’s toxic abandoned mines get federal Superfund money for cleanup. The rest – and liability for their pollution – are left to states, private organizations and nonprofit conservation groups to clean up.
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
The problem with America’s abandoned mines
By some estimates, there are as many as half a million abandoned mines in the U.S., sites that have the potential to contaminate water, pollute soil, kill wildlife and sicken humans.
Posted inEnvironment, Oil and Mining
Here’s what you need to know about the deep-sea gold rush
The ocean floor is a treasure trove of valuable minerals and metals, and the first deep-sea mine could begin operations as soon as 2017, but the environmental risks aren’t fully known.