Don’t call it a comeback

By Donna Schmidt News of the obvious: mining is a cyclical business. Some more than others, but one commodity nearly always atop the volatility list is coal. Much of this year has been good to coal; in fact, according to the Energy Information Administration, that is to continue, at least for now. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook, the agency said…

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Ameriwest Lithium picks up Arizona rights

North American lithium explorer Ameriwest Lithium announced in late September that it had been awarded seven exploration permits in Arizona by the state’s land department that will permit it to advance plans to explore prospective lithium-bearing clays in the west-central region of the state. The property totals nearly 2,859 acres (1,157 hectares) in Yavapai County, which Ameriwest refers to as…

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Freeport taps Robertson as SVP, CFO

Freeport-McMoRan has confirmed the addition of Maree Robertson as senior vice president and chief financial officer, an appointment effective March 1, 2022. Robertson, who will report to CFO Kathleen Quirk – who moved to an expanded role as president in February of this year, will be responsible for Freeport’s accounting, finance and tax functions, including financial reporting, operational accounting, internal…

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Marsh appointed Arizona state mine inspector

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey appointed Paul Marsh to serve as Arizona state mine inspector upon Joe Hart’s retirement from Arizona state service. The position of state mine inspector dates back to the Arizona Constitution of 1912, the year Arizona became a state. Arizona is the only state that elects a mine inspector. “Paul Marsh has more than 25 years of…

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Women in Mining holds national conference

The annual national conference of Women in Mining USA was held Oct. 21-23 in Salt Lake City, Utah, after a lengthy wait thanks to the pandemic. The event was themed “Changing the Face of Mining” and convened at the Salt Lake City Marriott University Park. Day 1 was conference-style and offered a number of panels, speakers and roundtable discussions. A…

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Clayton Valley pilot plant ready

Lithium exploration company Cypress Development has completed the assembly of its pilot plant for the Clayton Valley lithium project in Nevada. The plant, which is located about 100 miles south of the project, first began construction in March 2021. Assembly and operational testing are complete and beginning next week crews will begin to test extraction of lithium from sample materials.…

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Pinto Valley now fully permitted to 2039

Copper-focused producer Capstone Mining has received a new mine plan of operations from the U.S. Forest Service for its Pinto Valley operation in Arizona – specifically, an extension to its mine life through 2039 that will allow for significantly more jobs and pounds of copper production. As part of a recent optimization project at the Pinto Valley mine, the shell…

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