Mining the Metal of the Future

Inside Climate News · By Wyatt Myskow · last updated May 3, 2026 – 12:48 AM

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.

By Wyatt Myskow

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.

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