"They can exploit a number of existing realities. One of those realities is the economic toll that the war is taking on the United States, especially as we see in inflation and gas prices. That creates an enormous political vulnerability, a political ....

Uranium sales are negotiated through long-term contracts rather than in an open market, given the element’s use in nuclear weapons. So it is hard to get a pure price signal, says Ian Lange, an economist at the Colorado School of Mines

“If we remove a gas tax, an economist would tell you that if you lower the price, you will increase demand,” said Morgan Bazilian, who directs the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. “By doing this, one could minimize ....

“The urgency is the fact that Lake Powell is nearly out of water (threatening hydroelectric power in the West). Climate change is real and we are feeling the impacts,” said Colorado School of Mines nuclear engineer Jeff King.

Municipal sewage handlers across the nation, including Metro Water Recovery, have known about the presence and potential risks of PFAS chemicals in their effluent and biosolids since at least 2010, when a group of studies came out, said Christopher ....

“But as you have less vegetation cover and soil — as it gets drier — you expect to see greater amounts of erosion,” said Karen Berry, director of the Colorado Geological Survey. “And, we find that the types of rainfall we get have been changing due ....

In addition to the executive actions the Biden administration has taken on critical minerals in general, both policymakers and the industry have more specific items on their wish list to improve American competitiveness on battery production, said ....

Colin Wolden, a professor of chemical and biological engineering at Mines, said, “Lithium-ion battery production is dominated in Asia and this is a real chance to relocate that important industry here to the United States, and Colorado.”

A new report by the Payne Institute at the Colorado School of Mines said companies have also cited problems with supplies of cement and workers.

Ian Lange, who teaches energy economics at the Colorado School of Mines, said that if he were running a coal mine, he’d ask one thing of his customers: “Show me, you know, give me a commitment.”