If you follow my editor columns regularly, you know that there are two topics that I consider closest to my core as an editor: miner safety and mine rescue, and also research on ways to make the future of mining safer for all. My pride was, of course, on display for both at the recent West Virginia Coal Show –…
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While NAM puts a focus on technology in every issue we publish – after all, we can no longer just keep up with it all, we need to stay a step ahead – this particular issue is sprinkled with more tech talk than usual. For example, check out Features Editor Jonathan Rowland’s “How wire ropes shape shovel performance” – a…
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The turn of a new year always seems to bring a lot of news; new financial years, the natural turn to another annual journey, and many other factors play into the resurgence of business that January 1 brings. With plenty of industry headwinds as we hung up a new calendar, the course seemed to shift, albeit slightly, and there has…
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As this new year begins, we all innately want a better path forward than where we came from; that’s what makes resolutions so popular as well as polarizing, depending on your perspective. For the NAM team, we are ready to take on 2026 with a busy schedule of conferences and shows (including our own, the West Virginia Coal Show, beginning…
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As we close the books on another year, it is easy to say, “Out with the old, in with the new.” But do we really want to be out with the old entirely? In some ways, we absolutely do. Overall, this year has been an unsafe one for mining. Even one fatality is one too many, but our year is…
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As this editor began brainstorming topics of discussion for this issue’s editor letter, my brain rushed to two things: our upcoming events, and also a significant piece of news as it relates to the future of the lithium sector. First things first: there is a good chance that, as you read this, you are preparing for or sitting in your…
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September: the month the weather begins to change for many of us, the buses return to the traffic patterns on our commutes and, in business, when meetings, conferences and other travel needs begin to slow and we shift gears into taking stock of where we are. With the final quarter of the year about to begin, one would think things…
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It seems like the topic of rare earth elements has been buzzing at its peak for a while now. While some of that conversation has come from the government via regulatory chatter and the “we-said, they-said” of what the future supply chain will look like – and cost – the tone has changed significantly in the past several months following…
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In last month’s column, I spotlighted the job losses of many gifted researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), many of which are key contributors to the future of mining more safely and with better health behaviors. The layoffs, triggered by governmental cuts from the DOGE program, also have included agencies such as the Mine Safety…
Read MoreAs we journey toward the center of the year (already?), it is a good time to take stock of some things, how we’re doing, and what’s going well – and not so well. So, when someone says, “You want the good news first, or the bad news?” I generally will choose the latter. Rip off the Band-Aid, then let’s figure…
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