ICN Sunday Morning: Mining the Metal of the Future

Go behind the scenes with senior editor Michael Kodas, ICN reporter Wyatt Myskow and Columbia Journalism Investigations reporter Johanna Hansel as they discuss the complicated push to build up lithium mining in the United States.Today, just one lithium mine operates in the U.S. By 2030, at least six new projects are expected on American soil, with 13 more close behind, mostly in the dry Southwest. That’s only a sliver of what’s coming. Companies have already staked claims for more than 100 lithium mines, according to a new database from Columbia Journalism Investigations and Inside Climate News. This surge underscores how quickly the U.S. is emerging as a major player in the global lithium market, a metal central to electric vehicle batteries. The Biden administration promoted the boom as a way to bolster U.S. energy independence, and under the banner of “Drill, Baby, Drill,” President Donald Trump has accelerated it—while the costs mount. Socially and economically vulnerable communities, especially Indigenous tribes, are absorbing many of the impacts. Wyatt and Johanna, whose reporting alongside CJI’s Carla Samon Ros has produced a new series on U.S. lithium mining, break down the rush to build these projects, what it means for local communities and fragile ecosystems, and what can be done now to improve the path forward.