Articles by The Driller Staff

With 99% of Hawai‘i’s drinking water sourced from groundwater, the stakes remain high. 

In 2023, nearly 99% of uranium concentrate used in the U.S. came from abroad, with key sources including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Vanadium, meanwhile, is almost entirely mined in countries like China, Russia, and South Africa. 

With a dynamic blend of cultural, economic, and technological drivers, the precious metals industry is set to play a pivotal role in the global economy over the next decade.

The decision focuses on the Battle Springs Formation—a deep aquifer in the Great Divide Basin—and clears the way for Lost Creek ISR, LLC, to boost its underground mining efforts.

Zeldin highlighted the agency’s accelerated permit reviews and chemical safety processes as examples of balancing speed with safety.

A mysterious white slurry leaking into the Hutchinson River has triggered a rapid response from federal and state environmental agencies. Investigators traced the spill to a local cement plant, prompting enforcement action and ongoing monitoring.

The EPA has launched a 2025 reorganization to streamline operations, cut costs, and integrate science into policy—aiming for faster reviews and greater efficiency.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and its partners are once again promoting the National Safety Stand-Down, an initiative that encourages employers and workers across the country to refocus on fall prevention.

If completed, the facility would play a pivotal role in strengthening the domestic supply chain for lithium, a material critical to electric vehicles, energy storage, defense technologies, and emerging AI systems.

President Donald Trump has also directed a review of potential tariffs on critical mineral imports, further signaling a policy shift toward bolstering domestic mining as a matter of national economic and security strategy.