Alex Milan Tracy for Underscore
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The dozens of independent, nonprofit and nonpartisan news organizations that make up the Rural News Network are developing the broadest news alliance reporting on rural America. These newsrooms are pursuing coverage that provides a more complete picture of what it means to live and work in these communities.
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE NETWORK
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From toothpaste to beer bottles to industrial batteries, the world relies on Wyoming’s ‘white gold’
May 16, 2025
But shifting market and political forces challenge state’s otherwise reliable and expanding trona mining industry.
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Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
May 12, 2025
The White House wants to alter life for U.S. hunters, anglers, RVers, off-road-vehicle drivers, backpackers, birdwatchers and hikers.
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Amid Ongoing Threats to Local Food Systems, Alaska Native and Rural Alaskan Leaders Imagine Alternatives
April 23, 2025
Cascading environmental, economic, and political factors are making it increasingly challenging to put food on the table in rural Alaska. These communities are looking to the past, and the future, for solutions.
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Trump directive creates chaos on the Colorado River
April 17, 2025
The Gila River Indian Community received $105 million for water conservation in 2022 but lost it briefly this year after Trump froze federal funding.
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Why Indigenous nations are walking away from pipeline talks in Michigan
March 31, 2025
Experts say tribes are protesting federal agencies as Trump fast tracks oil and gas projects.
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After years of political clashes, is this Central Valley community finally on a path to clean water?
March 10, 2025
Efforts to bring clean water to East Orosi have progressed slowly in recent years, leaving residents living off bottled water deliveries.
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In Idaho, a controversial mine gets green light despite major concerns
October 02, 2024
Federal law gives mining interests an advantage in determining the best use of public lands in the Stibnite mining area.
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State regulators investigated 26 Athens County oil and gas incidents in last five years
March 28, 2024
Across the state, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources investigated more than 1,500 oil and gas incidents over the same period.
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California’s “Lithium Valley” may power millions of electric vehicles. Does Maine still need a lithium mine?
March 02, 2024
As America scrambles to develop a resource sometimes called the “new oil” or “white gold,” contrasts are emerging between what’s happening in western Maine and southern California.
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Wyoming coal could be in for a rough year
January 03, 2024
After enjoying a respite that lasted for a couple of years, the coal industry tipped back into its long-term downward trajectory in 2023. Early signs suggest that the progressive decline could worsen in the new year.
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Chronic wasting disease advances near Wyoming’s elk feedgrounds
January 02, 2024
A fourth wapiti has tested positive for the always-fatal communicable infection in western Wyoming where artificial feeding concentrates large numbers of animals.
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‘This stuff is killing me’: After decades of delay, new black lung protections come too late for some West Virginia coal miners
August 31, 2023
For decades, coal operators, federal regulators and politicians have come up short in preventing miners from getting the disease. For miners with black lung, the inaction has been deadly.
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Report highlights dirty legacy of mining in the West
August 21, 2023
Group advocates for updating mining regulations, which have been in place for more than 100 years.
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Vermont was seen as a climate haven. This summer has complicated that image.
July 24, 2023
As the world warms, Vermont has been touted as a climate refuge, a place that has drawn people who are seeking escape from the worst effects of climate change. But this summer has forced Vermonters to reexamine that reputation.
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A remarkable discovery in Maine’s wilderness sparks a debate over the risks and rewards of mining
July 17, 2023
The lithium deposit in Newry would feed the demand for the mineral used in batteries and computer screens. But at what cost?
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