copper

A recent study from the University of Michigan has shed light on a critical challenge facing the global transition to electric vehicles: the inability of copper mining to keep pace with the growing demand.

The Los Angeles Metro train system is suffering a wave of Third World-style copper cable theft that has disrupted service as criminals seek to strip the metal from the transportation network and sell it on the scrap market.

A suspect has been identified after being accused of stealing copper wire from a store in Bartow County, Georgia.

The Indian government is reportedly interested in buying a copper mine and up to two lithium mines in Argentina, in a bid to catch up with China as a top provider of minerals needed for electric vehicle (EV) batteries.

Copper prices recently fell to a 16-month-low indicating to some financial analysts that a recession may be on the horizon, as the metal’s use across diverse industries means its price reliably gauges world economic health.

Workers for CODELCO, Chile’s state-run mining company and the largest copper producer in the world, launched a nationwide strike on Wednesday to protest plans to shut down a foundry employing 350 people.

An indigenous group said on Wednesday it will “indefinitely” block a key mining road in the Espinar province of Peru until its demands are met. Peruvian President Pedro Castillo quickly sacked his prime minister in response to the blockade, while his government announced a deal to satisfy another indigenous group that has been blocking a Chinese-owned mine.

On Friday, the Environmental Protection Agency said it will not repay over $1.2 billion for economic damages it caused as the result of the toxic Gold King Mine waste spill it accidentally triggered in Colorado last year, citing the Federal Tort Claims Act as the basis for its decision.

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