How Russia’s war could revive America’s uranium industry

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
June 23, 2022

A federal gas tax holiday might be popular. But it might not be useful.

“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 ....
June 23, 2022

Mini nuclear power plants being developed in Colorado could generate electricity around planet and in space

“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.
June 21, 2022

Colorado has been spreading biosolids with “forever chemicals” on farms, records show. How dangerous is it?

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 ....
June 20, 2022

Why flooding could be more common in Colorado this summer

“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 ....
June 9, 2022

US increases production to catch China in global battery race

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 ....
June 9, 2022

‘Win For Sustainability And Colorado’: Solid Power To Begin Delivering Electric Vehicle Batteries For Testing

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.”
June 7, 2022

Conditions prime for energy boom in Colorado, so what’s the holdup?

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.
June 7, 2022

Coal prices are way up and long-term commitments from customers are hard to find

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.”
June 2, 2022

Sweltering India turns to superheating coal for cooling

In leaning on coal to survive early season heat waves, India is no different than Europe, which has prioritized buying large amounts of LNG this year to help heat homes next winter, said Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute at the ....
June 2, 2022