For many people who filled concert halls in New York and Moscow, Igor Raykhelson was known as a gifted composer – a classically trained musician whose works blended Russian tradition with American jazz. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and some of the most prestigious concert venues. But while he was building a reputation in the classical arts, Raykhelson was simultaneously cultivating an unlikely second career in the global metals markets, where he and his father are alleged to have been perpetrating large-scale metals industry scams for many decades. By his early thirties, the composer had formed Interlink…
Author: TJ Markle
Growing water scarcity could hamper the expansion of lithium mining in the U.S., deepening its reliance on foreign imports over the coming decades, a new study finds. Lithium is used in electric-vehicle and energy-storage batteries due to its high energy density and low weight compared with other minerals, but mining it requires a huge amount of water. Currently, the U.S. has only one active lithium mine, in Nevada, and with demand for the metal projected to explode over the next few years, the government and private companies are planning to open at least 115 new mines across the country, according…
Driven by the two goals of “dual carbon” and the restructuring of the global mining industry, Chinese mining equipment major Tonly Heavy Industries says greening, intelligence, low-carbon and unmanned operations have become the core directions and inevitable paths for industry transformation and uplifting. During its recent 2026 Overseas Customer Festival, which included an equipment showcase in Hulunbuir, Tonly systematically presented a green intelligent mine ecosystem solution aimed at upgrading the global mining industry, and “providing the industry with a verifiable, replicable, and practical transformation path.” Having been deeply involved in the mining equipment industry for over twenty years, Tonly says…
Environmental groups worry that pulling up swaths of the seafloor could harm marine life and contribute to erosion. The Trump administration announced this week that it is considering what could be the nation’s first federal lease for offshore mineral mining in the Atlantic Ocean. The federal government is requesting information from companies interested in mining within a 2,700-square-mile area, larger than Delaware. The proposed site flanks Virginia’s Eastern Shore, stretching from 3 to 63 miles off the coast. The move was prompted by an unsolicited request from a Florida company late last year. Trump officials say the industry, which mines…
Agrees to offtake direct shipping ore from New Amalga, provides $25M loan, and invests in Grande Portage. Grande Portage Resources Ltd. June 25 reported that Ocean Partners UK Ltd. has agreed to offtake direct shipping ore produced at New Amalga and is providing funding to help advance development of this proposed gold mine project about 16 miles (25 kilometers north of Juneau, Alaska. “This is strong validation of our project’s robust economics as outlined in our recently filed PEA (preliminary economic assessment), and our vision to develop the mine using a direct-ship platform,” said Grande Portage CEO Ian Klassen. The…
The Pebble Mine project has been in administrative limbo since Barack Obama held office. Under President Donald Trump, the federal government has largely shown it would rather pursue “Extraordinary Resource Potential,” to quote a Trump executive order, than uphold long-standing environmental protections. In Alaska, pending litigation, this may result in massive tracts of land falling into corporate hands. But when it comes to a Bristol Bay mining project proposed by a Canadian-owned company, the feds are putting up a fight — one that started under the Obama administration. “This is a rare issue on which multiple Democratic and Republican administrations…
Generation Mining (TSX: GENM; US-OTC: GENMF) has assembled almost all its financing for the $1-billion capex Marathon copper-palladium project in northern Ontario. The $969 million total includes $200 million this week from the Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB), $424 million in senior debt from several lenders and a $240-million streaming deal with Wheaton Precious Metals (NYSE, TSX, LSE: WPM). That leaves about $150 million to be potentially raised through equity this fall, according to Haywood Securities mining analyst Pierre Vaillancourt. Construction would start in next year’s first half. “With permitting and most of the financing complete, Generation is in good position…
ASU researchers develop ways to stabilize waste from mining activities and recover critical minerals across Arizona. Arizona State University researchers are testing ways to turn one of mining’s biggest environmental liabilities into a potential resource for American businesses and consumers. While the waste created from mining activities carries contaminants that can potentially make their way into nearby waterways, it may also contain critical minerals that could be sourced to strengthen U.S. domestic supply chains. As part of the ASU Mining Innovation Initiative, several projects at ASU are working on ways to stabilize mine waste, reduce environmental contamination and recover critical…
Over the next few months, Guinea’s environment ministry will review an environmental and social impact assessment for an iron ore mine in the country’s Nimba Mountains. The project, named Kon Kweni, is to be carved out of Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Comprising a unique combination of tropical forest and high-elevation savanna, the Nimba highlands are a biodiversity hotspot, home to dozens of endemic species. According to the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA), these highlands would face “direct and major risks,” “irreversible damage,” and “threat to species survival” if the mining operations go ahead.…
U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright on Friday issued an emergency order to keep a Colorado coal plant operational. Energy& Utilities The order directs Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association (Tri-State), Platte River Power Authority, Salt River Project, PacifiCorp, and Public Service Company of Colorado (a subsidiary of Xcel Energy), to take all measures necessary to ensure that Craig Unit 1 is available to operate at the direction of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). Unit 1 of the coal plant was originally scheduled to shut down at the end of 2025, but in December 2025 and again in March 2026, Secretary Wright issued emergency…