Wyoming Pumped Hydro Project Facing Pushback Due to Potential Wildlife and Fishing Impacts

      Company rPlus Hydro’s proposed $4 billion pumped-water electricity storage facility at Wyoming's Seminoe Reservoir is getting pushback from wildlife advocates, biologists, environmentalists, and trout fishing enthusiasts. In a recent hearing at the Wyoming State Legislature, they warned that a primary federal permitting review by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is too lax on “acceptable” impacts and riddled with inaccurate assumptions promoted by the project developer.

     According to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle:

“These concerns are not theoretical for us,” Casper Mayor Ray Pacheco told the legislative panel. “Casper relies directly on the North Platte River for drinking water, wastewater treatment, recreation, tourism and the quality of life.”

     There are concerns about potential impacts to the Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep herd, mostly due to blasting and industrial traffic during the project’s five-year construction period. Another concern is the effects of warmer water temperatures on trout. There are also concerns that it may exacerbate the regional drought that is ongoing.

     The article notes how pumped hydro works:

“Pumped water storage” involves pumping water uphill during daytime “off-peak demand” hours for electricity when wind and solar power are plentiful and wholesale electricity is cheapest, according to rPlus Hydro. The pumped water would be temporarily stored in a to-be-constructed reservoir above the current reservoir and released to generate hydroelectricity during higher-demand evening hours.

     The upper reservoir is planned to be 13,400-acre-foot in size. The company representative at the hearing for rPlus Hydro noted:

“It’s an enormously large project to meet Wyoming’s future energy needs,” rPlus Hydro Deputy General Counsel Kevin Baker told the legislative committee, adding that it would help lower the cost of electricity. “Pumped (water) storage is actually one of the longest duration, most effective and most cost-efficient types of energy storage that’s on the market today.”

     Baggs Republican Sen. Larry Hicks argued that Wyoming is a net exporter of electricity and the project was not likely to lower in-state power costs.

     CiCi Oliver of the Ugly Bug Fly Shop in Casper, which employs 45 people and is dependent on the North Platte River fishery, noted:

“This proposal requires exemptions from existing land use and wildlife protections in order to move forward. It is my belief that if a project only works by loosening protections that were specifically created to safeguard habitat and sensitive resources, then perhaps it is not suited for the location in the first place.”

     For this project, presumably due to it being on federal acreage, the permitting agency is mainly FERC, and state regulators have little to no role in setting permitting conditions. After the FERC’s final environmental impact statement (EIS) is issued in June, state regulators may request amendments to the BLM and Wyoming Game and Fish. The project must also be approved by the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council.

     The project began development in 2019 and is expected to be in service in 2031. That is a 12-year period from proposal to operation, if it stays on schedule. According to the company’s website:

“The project will consist of one new reservoir, underground tunnels and underground powerhouse, an intake-outlet structure in Seminoe Reservoir, and a new transmission line. The new reservoir will be located approximately 1,000 feet above the Seminoe Reservoir, approximately 10,000 feet east of the Seminoe Dam. Energy for pumping, and power generated by the project, will be delivered through a new, 30-mile transmission line connecting the project with PacifiCorp’s existing Aeolus Substation, near Medicine Bow.”’

     The project schedule is given below, followed by a nicely done video detailing how the project will be constructed:

References:

 

Critics oppose Wyoming hydroelectric project, pointing to climate-driven drought crisis. Dustin Bleizeffer. Wyoming Tribune Eagle. May 30, 2026. Critics oppose Wyoming hydroelectric project, pointing to climate-driven drought crisis | Local News | wyomingnews.com

Seminoe Pumped Storage Project. rPlus Hydro (website). Seminoe Pumped Storage | The Modern Energy Hub for Wyoming

New Northeast Pipeline Projects Serve In-Region and Out-of-Region Demand: Summary of RBN Analysis Plus My Own Analysis

     New pipeline projects are moving forward in the Northeast after the U.S. government removed some barriers for approvals that have been hampering buildout for several years. In-region demand continues to grow as more coal plants are retired and as demand from AI data centers continues to grow. Out-of-region demand is highlighted by LNG export capacity growth, which is expected to continue as well. The Appalachian Basin region, with its shale plays: Marcellus, Utica, and the smaller Burket play, continues to have the best natural gas economics in the U.S. Thus, the potential profit margin is high if that gas can be moved to LNG export terminals. 

     Environmentalists have been the main cause of limiting natural gas pipeline access to New England. Allowing more natural gas into the region would decrease electricity costs for residents and for industry. It would also result in better air quality during winter cold spells, as diesel would not have to be burned. It would improve both winter and summer power reliability. That is a ‘no-brainer’ to most of us, but the environmental lobby, with the help of anti-fossil fuel governors and regulators, has been able to keep that no-brainer from occurring, to the detriment of consumers. The recent scrapping of offshore wind projects also means that planned capacity will likely be replaced, and natural gas is the best option.

     Enbridge’s AGT Enhancement project plans to increase its peak-demand period capacity by 75MMCF/day on its Algonquin Gas Transmission (AGT) pipeline system from New Jersey to eastern New England. 

     The plans for this upgrade include looping, building larger pipelines through some sections, and compressor upgrades, as detailed below. Doing these kinds of upgrades instead of building new lines makes it easier to get approval from state regulators, typically unwilling to approve new pipelines and routes.

     FERC has agreed to expedite its review of the project. It also has plans to increase capacity further on that system, as RBN details below.

“In mid-May, the midstream giant unveiled plans for Project Beacon, which — depending on the results of a simultaneously issued open season — could add another 300 MMcf/d of capacity to the system (and possibly even more) by late 2030 through a series of physical and operational improvements.”

     It is likely that similar upgrades: looping, larger diameter pipe, and more compression, will be implemented in Project Beacon. They also believe that the project will stick to existing rights of way, as they are doing in the current upgrades.

“Persistent constraints in the region limit the system’s ability to meet growing peak-day demand, which drives sustained basis differentials between New England and upstream production areas.” The company stated that “additional pipeline capacity dedicated to gas-fired generation is essential to providing rapid ramping capacity” — that is, the ability of a power plant to quickly increase its generation of electricity. It said AGT is “offering a solution to close this gap with dedicated transportation capacity paired with in-region storage” to meet the variable needs of gas-fired generators and other gas users.”

     Midstream company Williams has two northeast pipeline projects in the works. The first is the Northeast Supply Enhancement (NESE), which was cancelled long ago but revived in 2025 with Trump administration support and state approvals. It is currently under construction and expected to be in service in 4Q 2027.

     Williams operates the 10,000-mile-plus Transco system, of which these enhancements are a part. The project is expected to involve 36.4 miles of looping, pipe size increases, compression increases, and compression upgrades. It is expected to provide 400 MMcf/d of firm transportation capacity to gas utility National Grid’s service territory in three of New York City’s five boroughs (Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Queens) and Long Island’s Nassau and Suffolk counties.

     Williams’ Constitution Pipeline is a 125-mile, 650-MMcf/d project that was approved by FERC in 2014, denied water permits by the State of New York in 2016, and cancelled in 2020. The pipeline route originates in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, one of the counties in the state with the highest Marcellus gas production. This is dry gas, which needs minimal treatment to be pipeline-ready. As RBN points out, this line would also connect three important large pipelines, giving some optionality to moving gas to where it is needed faster.

     Below, they discuss the challenges to revive this pipeline. Many of us believe this pipeline should have been built a decade ago and would by now have improved power reliability and lowered electricity costs in the region.

“The Constitution project’s prospective revival faces two significant challenges, however, and its fate is uncertain. One is that the state of New York is opposing Williams’s December 2025 request that FERC reissue the project’s CPCN. The other is that, unlike the NESE project, whose development was based on the needs of one gas utility in a single state, the Constitution project would require long-term commitments from multiple gas buyers in two or more states.”

“Asked about the project’s prospects during Williams’s May 5 earnings call, CEO Chad Zamarin said that to make the project a go, “we have to coalesce a critical mass” of customer interest — something Williams continues to pursue as it fights legal challenges to its request to FERC to reissue its CPCN. “That's really the challenge with Constitution. It’s just a much more fragmented market and a lot of different constituencies that need to come together. ... We’re going to keep at it.”

     

 

References:

 

Movin’ Out – The Pipeline Projects That Will Move More Natural Gas Through (and Out of) the Northeast. Housley Carr. RBN Energy. June 8, 2026. Movin’ Out – The Pipeline Projects That Will Move More Natural Gas Through (and Out of) the Northeast | RBN Energy

China Leads Recent Nuclear Power Deployment, but the U.S. is Still by Far the Global Leader in Nuclear Power Capacity and Generation

     

     The EIA recently pointed out that China has nearly doubled its nuclear power capacity in the past decade, while the U.S. has more or less had the same nuclear power capacity over the past 25 years. China added 24GW of nuclear capacity from 2016 to 2024 and an additional 3.3GW since then for a total of 27.3 GW in the past decade. China is continuing its nuclear buildout and currently has 36 reactors under construction, accounting for more than 49% of total world nuclear construction, according to PRIS. They also show that all of China’s nuclear power plants are located along the length of its East Coast, where the population is highest.  

     According to the EIA:

“Nuclear projects in China use a standardized project management approach for design, licensing, and construction for multiple reactor technologies. Reactors are built in batches of 6 to 10 reactors to take advantage of economies of scale. China is also building up a nuclear supply chain with a focus on domestic manufacturing of the main plant components to decrease reliance on foreign nuclear vendors.”

“Additionally, China’s average build time for nuclear power plants is below the global average. According to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, 2022 the average build time for a nuclear power plant in China between 2012 and 2021 was six years, compared with a global average construction time of about nine years.”

     China is also building its first small modular reactor (SMR), a 100MWe pressurized water reactor that can be used for power generation, water desalination, and district heating. It was designed domestically and is expected to come online in the first half of 2026, so very soon.

     According to World Population Review:

“As of late 2025, there are about 439 operable nuclear reactors worldwide, with a combined capacity of approximately 389.5 GW. Additionally, 56 reactors are currently under construction, which will add around 63.7 GW to global capacity.”

     Thus, China’s 36 reactors under construction make up 64% of reactors under construction globally.

     Below are a map and a graph of nuclear power generation by country. Note that since nuclear units typically have high capacity factors, or utilization rates, the difference between capacity and generation is less than for intermittent sources like wind or solar, or underutilized, inefficient coal plants.

     The U.S. has had nearly the same nuclear capacity and nuclear generation over the past 40 years.

 

Nuclear electricity installed capacity | United States = 98.39 GW

Nuclear energy generation | United States = 781.87 TWh

 

References:

 

China’s nuclear power capacity nearly doubled since 2016. Energy Information Administration. June 5, 2026. China’s nuclear power capacity nearly doubled since 2016 - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Nuclear Power by Country 2026. World Population Review. Nuclear Power by Country 2026

Nuclear energy generation | United States. Stat Base. Nuclear energy generation | United States (1965−2024) − Data, Charts & Analysis

Nuclear electricity installed capacity | United States. Stat Base. Nuclear electricity installed capacity | United States (1980−2024) − Data, Charts & Analysis

Plants Emit Isoprene, a Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) That Repels Insects: Three Papers Show How It Protects Plants, Its Oxidation Chemistry and Environmental Impacts, and How Its Production is Triggered in Soybeans

     

     Scientists at Michigan State University, detailed by Interesting Engineering, have recently (April 2025) solved a mystery about isoprene, a volatile organic chemical (VOC) released naturally by some plants. Its chemical formula is C5H8. Isoprene is the second most abundant hydrocarbon being emitted to the atmosphere after methane. It interacts with sunlight and nitrogen oxides from vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, contributing to the formation of ozone, aerosols, and other pollutants that degrade air quality. The researchers wanted to know why only certain plants produce isoprene. They compared isoprene-emitting (IE) plants to plants that don’t emit isoprene (NE). They found that isoprene emission helps with heat stress and with deterring insects. The researchers grew two types of tobacco plants. One was genetically altered to produce isoprene, and the other was not. The plant not altered was invaded by whiteflies, but the one that produced isoprene was not. The same was done with hornworms. It was found that the isoprene did not deter them directly but indirectly by increasing the plant’s production of jasmonic acid, a defense hormone that disrupts an insect’s ability to digest protein.

“Another surprise came from soybeans. Long believed to have lost the ability to make isoprene through evolution, soybeans were found to release it in small bursts when their leaves were damaged. The discovery suggests they still carry the gene to produce isoprene and switch it only under stress.”

     The first paper, published in Science Advances, details how isoprene deters insects.

     The figure below from the paper clearly shows the damage to non-emitting (NE) plants only.

     While crop plants generally don’t emit isoprene, June 2025 research from scientists at the University of Illinois shows that soybeans do emit it when their leaves are wounded or during high temperatures. However, they make isoprene at much lower rates than typical isoprene-emitting plants. Also, it was reported in the paper that:

“Isoprene emission in soybeans was linked to reduced photosynthesis rates and stomatal conductance.”

     Just this morning, I was checking my edamame soybeans that have just sprouted or are in the process of sprouting. Unfortunately, a raccoon has been digging around and breaking the sprouts. I’ll probably lose quite a bit of them, unfortunately. The sprouting plants seem to be very brittle and vulnerable to being snapped below their cotyledons (the leaves that feed them until they are established), which means they won’t re-sprout. If only the isoprene could deter raccoons!

     The paper also noted that wounding-induced isoprene emission showed a connection with elevated jasmonic acid, as in the Michigan State study. The movie below shows the lab setup for the analysis in action, with the bell curve on the left presumably showing the emission of isoprene after the leaf was damaged.

     A February 2026 paper in the Journal Atmosphere explored isoprene emissions, their oxidation chemistry, and their environmental impacts. The paper notes that isoprene emissions affect the oxidizing capacity of the atmosphere. As the paper’s abstract notes, isoprene emissions are strongest in tropical regions:

“The emission of isoprene is strongest in tropical forested regions, suggesting a major portion of tropospheric chemistry occurs in the tropics. As well as deforestation and reforestation having a direct impact on the world’s climate through land cover, there is also an indirect environmental impact (e.g., global warming, air pollution) through the resulting change in isoprene emissions.”

     The paper notes that 90% of non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions come from terrestrial vegetation. Among biogenic VOCs, isoprene emissions dominate. The table below shows that broadleaf tropical evergreen trees dominate isoprene emissions, followed distantly by broadleaf deciduous temperate trees. The Amazon appears to be the world’s hotspot for isoprene emissions.

     The researchers discovered why previous models of isoprene emissions did not match the far greater levels of HOx radicals that were measured over pristine Amazon rainforests than predicted. They revised the oxidation chemistry to include the isomerization reactions that were discovered following the initial oxidation of the HOx radicals. As the paper’s conclusions below recount, there are several variables that affect isoprene emissions, including temperature, water availability, light, season, and time of day. Uncertainties in quantifying isoprene emissions remain, despite the important discoveries made in the paper.

 

References:

 

Plants emit insect-repelling chemical that could secretly be poisoning our air.  Neetika Walter. Interesting Engineering. June 19, 2025. Plants emit insect-repelling chemical that could secretly be poisoning our air

Cryptic isoprene emission of soybeans. Mohammad Golam Mostofa, Abira Sahu, Yuan Xu, +3 , and Thomas D. Sharkey. PNAS. Vol. 122 | No. 24. June 12, 2025. Cryptic isoprene emission of soybeans | PNAS

Isoprene deters insect herbivory by priming plant hormone responses. Abira Sahu, Mohammad Golam Mostofa, Yuan Xu, Bianca M. Serda, James O’Keefe, and Thomas D. Sharkey. Science Advances. 18 Apr 2025. Vol 11, Issue 16. Isoprene deters insect herbivory by priming plant hormone responses | Science Advances

Isoprene Emissions, Oxidation Chemistry and Environmental Impacts. M. Anwar H. Khan,Rayne Holland, Charlotte Mould, Asan Bacak, Carl J. Percival, and Dudley E. Shallcross. Atmosphere. Volume 16. Issue 3. February 24, 2026.  Isoprene Emissions, Oxidation Chemistry and Environmental Impacts

Will Bolivia Join Cuba and Venezuela in Becoming a Failed Socialist State? No, but Socialist Supporters of the Former Rulers, Facing Some Austerities, are Rioting

 Cuba, Venezuela’s Maduro Regime, and Bolivia’s Morales Socialist Regime

     Things these countries have in common: socialist governments, rampant corruption, high inflation, neglect of domestic fossil fuel and mining industries, anti-American sentiments, and cooperation with American adversaries.

     Bolivia’s current President, Rodrigo Paz, has been in power for six months. He is trying to reorient the company’s failing economy with the wider international markets and reinvigorate investment in industries that have been neglected by the previous socialist governments, including the fossil fuel and mining industries. His decision to lower fuel subsidies has resulted in pushback.

     Latin American socialist governments have been problematic for a long time. They tend to be anti-American, and they tend to be riddled with economic and social problems. They are often associated with or are more tolerant of narco-traffickers.

     While the downfalls of Venezuela and Cuba were enhanced by U.S. sanctions, that is not the case with the other countries, such as Bolivia. The current Paz government is friendly and cooperative with America and Trump, and the U.S. is also assisting them in alleviating food and medicine shortages due to road blockades. Morales ruled with his strong anti-American sentiments for 13.5 years, from 2006 through most of 2019, after resigning in November 2019 due to protests and conclusions that the election was rigged in his favor and allegations of mass fraud by another socialist ruler, Luis Arce, another member of the Movement for Socialism (MAS) party and then by a former MAS party operative, Jeanine Áñez, who was elected interim president and served from 2020 to 2025 when Paz, a member of the more moderate Christian Democratic party. At the time Áñez assumed the office of interim president, I remember her being called far-right wing, which was not really true. When Morales was forced to resign, he was defended by American Democratic Socialists Bernie Sanders and AOC, even though his stance was decidedly anti-American. Morales stands accused of impregnating a girl in her early teens and failed to appear at his child trafficking trial amid the recent protests. An acquaintance of mine from Europe even said Morales had a friend of his murdered. Morales and Arce had a big falling out after being friends and collaborators for many years. Arce was arrested in 2020 by anti-corruption forces due to his actions as finance minister during Morales’s rule, where he diverted hundreds of millions in natural gas revenues to indigenous peasant farmers. This led to the years with interim president Áñez. In 2016, Bolivians voted with a 51.3% majority to not allow Morales to amend the constitution for another term. He initially accepted the results, then backtracked as he ran again in 2019, with the results strongly disputed.

     President Paz inherited a country in a severe economic crisis after 20 years of socialist rule. Industrial projects with billions invested remain unmonetized and unfinished. The socialist government decreased investment in natural gas projects, which led to declining revenue from the sector.  

     Morales, who is currently hiding out in rural Bolivia among supporters in the coca-growing region of the country, is also being supported by other socialist and leftist governments, including those in Venezuela and Colombia. It is claimed that he is also being supported by drug trafficking networks. He is also thought to be directing the protests, some of which have turned violent and are ripe with intimidation tactics such as people wielding sticks of dynamite, arson, and mass blockading of main roads. An article in the Latin Times called the outside help:

"A geopolitical rescue operation for a crumbling authoritarian network."  

     Of course, Morales blames the Americans and the CIA for being out to get him and to remove all leftist governments in Latin America. Those governments, including his, have been strongly condemned as authoritarian and full of corruption. The U.S has also called the current actions a coup financed by socialist political factions, narco-traffickers, and organized crime. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau stated the above opinion and also said:

"It cannot be that you have a democratic process where he was elected overwhelmingly by the Bolivian people less than a year ago and now you have violent demonstrators blockading the streets."

     President Paz noted in a late May Bloomberg interview:

“There are many internal and external interests in making this democracy fail and generating regional disorder,” Paz said Saturday from the presidential palace in La Paz.

“This is a problem over whether democracy in Bolivia is viable or not,” said Paz, who took office in November following two decades of socialist rule.

     The government then invited the La Paz farmers’ federation for talks. Public Works Minister Mauricio Zamora said he was ambushed three times by protesters wielding stones and explosives on Saturday. “I felt my life to be at risk,” he said in a statement. Paz and his cabinet ministers also cut their own salaries by 50% to show commitment to the country.

     The U.S. has ramped up humanitarian assistance to Bolivia amid the supply chain problems caused by the blockades. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the U.S. would not allow:

“…criminals and drug traffickers to overthrow democratically elected leaders in our hemisphere.”

     Paz has called for:

“…an open economy, legal certainty and a society where racial and cultural differences no longer generate the tensions Bolivia is currently undergoing.”

“Our government represents the closing of a cycle of management of the last 20 years,” Paz said. “This transition won’t be easy, but clearly it’s the right path to free up Bolivia’s productive forces.”

     Bolivia’s legislature recently passed a law allowing the use of troops to rein in protestors. This should clear the way towards ending the roadblocks, hopefully without any violence. A spokesperson for Trump’s “Shield of the Americas” regional coalition noted:

“We stand with Paz’s democratic government as it fights back against attempts to drag Bolivia backwards through cynical efforts to prevent the delivery of food, medicine and other vital supplies to the Bolivian people through fake road blockades.”

     Morales and his party favored Chinese influence while eschewing American influence. His government was extremely distrusting of multinational companies that sought to develop the country’s significant lithium resources, being overly suspicious of being shortchanged. The Morales government made some lithium deals with Russia and China, but there is distrust of them, too. An article in UPI News regarding China’s influence in Bolivia notes:

“The more important question is whether Latin American countries have the institutional strength to negotiate with any major power on terms that serve their people. A weak state can be exploited by China, but also by Western corporations or local elites of any ideology. A strong state can engage China, the United States and Europe without surrendering transparency or public accountability.”

“Bolivia needs a development strategy rooted in open competition, public scrutiny and environmental responsibility.”

      An article published today in the Washington Examiner, authored by Manhattan Institute fellow Matias Ahrensdorf, summarizes the latest developments in the protests:

“As of this writing, 103 blockades operate across seven of nine departments, 13 people have died, and food, medicine, and fuel are running short on the crisis’s 34th day.”

     The article points out that much of Western media has depicted the protests as being about dissatisfaction with government policies, but that is just a small part. The New York Times blamed teacher pay, contaminated fuel, and a new land law. They ignore the real reason for the protests – Morales and his socialist ideology.

“Second, the “supporters” cast as blue-collar workers seeking fair wages tell a different story to reporters from the Bolivian outlet Unitel. They admit that unions controlled by Morales pay them to protest and threaten their jobs if they fail to appear. Anyone who tries to negotiate with Paz, they say, is “immediately disowned and expelled.”

“Morales has done this before. In 2024, after a judge issued an arrest warrant for statutory rape and incitement to prostitution, his supporters shut down highways, clashed with police, and occupied a military barracks, holding some 200 soldiers hostage.”

“The same people who invoked “defending democracy” for a leader chasing an unconstitutional fourth term now stand with the mob trying to topple an elected one.”

“…the world must call this what it is, a bid to topple a democracy by a man dodging prosecution. Morales belongs in a jail cell, not at the head of a blockade. Bolivia’s path forward runs through its courts and ballot box, not another round of mob rule.”

     It is true that authoritarianism is a serious problem among Latin American leftist governments, especially the socialist ones. Add in the other common occurrences of economic incompetence and rampant corruption, and the ingredients for a failed state are there. However, this time it appears that people are waking up to the attempt to take down a clearly elected government with the help of organized criminals. Paz and the Bolivian majority deserve America’s help, and we should provide it as we can.  

 

 

 

References:

 

Bolivia’s Paz says protests test democracy ahead of talks. Sergio Mendoza and David Gura. Bloomberg. May 23, 2026. Bolivia’s Paz says protests test democracy ahead of talks

Coup in plain sight: Bolivia is the front line of Latin America's ideological war. S. H. Lee. Latin Times. May 19, 2026. Coup in plain sight: Bolivia is the front line of Latin America's ideological war

Bolivian minister's convoy ambushed while overseeing roadblock clearance. Aleks Phillips. BBC. May 24, 2026. Bolivian minister's convoy ambushed while overseeing roadblock clearance

Bolivia president Paz cuts salary by 50% as protests grip country. Reuters. May 25, 2026. Bolivia president Paz cuts salary by 50% as protests grip country

US says it is ramping up emergency assistance in Bolivia amid protests. Reuters. June 4, 2026. US says it is ramping up emergency assistance in Bolivia amid protests

Bolivia’s legislature passes law allowing use of troops against protesters. Al Jazeera Staff and AFP. June 7, 2026. Bolivia’s legislature passes law allowing use of troops against protesters

Bolivia's China lesson is bigger than Bolivia. Opinion by Gustavo Nakamura, UPI News. June 8, 2026. Bolivia's China lesson is bigger than Bolivia

Bolivia’s insurrection isn’t about economic grievances. It’s about ideology. Matias Ahrensdorf, Washington Examiner. June 8, 2026. Bolivia’s insurrection isn’t about economic grievances. It’s about ideology

Idex Metals Explores for Tungsten in Blind Porphyry Copper Deposit in Western Idaho as Tungsten Prices Skyrocket Tenfold in Just Over a Year: Munitions and Drill Bit Costs are Rising and America is on the Verge of a Tungsten Revival

   

     China dominates tungsten production, with 79% of global production. Tungsten prices have skyrocketed tenfold in just over a year, and there is considerable scrambling for new supplies, which will reduce prices. This situation of high prices has been exacerbated by U.S.-Chinese trade relations and tariffs. Tungsten is always in high demand for its use in munitions, oil & gas drill bits, solar panels, semiconductors, EVs, robotics, mining equipment, and potentially for the walls of nuclear fusion reactors. The U.S., however, does have some promising tungsten prospects that are being actively explored. The desirable qualities of tungsten for munitions include heat resistance, density, and the ability to retain destructive force. The conflict in Iran has affected U.S. tungsten supplies, assuring that U.S. demand for the metal will rise. A 12% increase in demand is expected for 2026. The U.S. has not produced tungsten domestically since 2015, and new mining projects are notoriously slow to manifest.

     Tungsten is typically found with copper deposits. Usually, copper is the main mineral mined, and tungsten is more or less a byproduct. One new U.S. tungsten prospect that is being developed by Idex Metals is a large copper porphyry system in Idaho. Beneath the Kismet breccia in Triassic-age mineralized rocks at a depth of 300-800 meters, large concentrations of copper and molybdenum were found through drilling. The drilling results confirm the geophysical indications. Since then, exploration drilling has been expanded in both areal extent and depth to better define the prospective area. The presence of this blind porphyry deposit was first announced by Hercules Metals in 2023. What is unique about Idex Metals’ acreage is that the deposit is much shallower, rather than covered by hundreds of meters of basalt. That makes exploration drilling faster and easier, as well as making potential mining cheaper. The drilling on Idex acreage so far indicates a larger deposit below the current drilling depths. They plan to explore down to 1200 meters. As the map below shows, several companies are poised to develop this new copper mining district in Western Idaho.

     The U.S. is working to fast-track domestic development of 13 critical minerals, including tungsten, in order to reduce dependence on foreign and potentially unstable supplies. Chinese export controls on tungsten and some other critical minerals have exacerbated the supply issue and raised market prices considerably. The U.S. is ready and willing to pay a premium to develop its own secure supply of tungsten, and it has encouraged its allies to pay a national security premium for critical minerals. The U.S. is also funding the increase of tungsten production among its allies, including the EU, Australia, South Korea, Canada, and some African countries.

     Company RMX is exploring for tungsten far to the east of Western Idaho in Southwestern Montana, recently acquiring 100% ownership of the Pioneer Tungsten Project, a 209-hectare tenement package. These deposits are along the eastern margin of the Mount Torrey Batrholith and are associated with large garnet skarns. According to GeologyScience.com:

“Skarn is coarse-grained metamorphic rocks that forms by a metasomatism. Also called tactites. Skarn tend to be rich in calcium-magnesium-iron-manganese-aluminium silicate minerals that also referred to calc-silicate minerals. Skarn, in geology, metamorphic zone developed in the contact area around igneous rock intrusions when carbonate sedimentary rocks are invaded by large amounts of silicon, aluminum, iron, and magnesium. Many skarns also include ore minerals; several productive deposits of copper or other base metals have been found in and adjacent to skarns.”

“Tungsten skarns are found in association with calc-alkaline plutons in major orogenic belts. They are associated with coarse grained, equigranular batholiths (with pegmatite and aplite dykes), surrounded by high temperature metamorphic aureoles. This is indicative of a deep environment.”

     A map of the RMX assets in Montana is shown below, followed by highlights of the project.

  

 

References:

 

The Tungsten Crunch: Surging Munitions Demand Outpaces U.S. Supply. Market Tactic. April 9, 2026. Idex Metals - Surging Munitions Demand Outpaces U.S. Supply - Market Tactic

Why tungsten prices are rising so fast: inside the supply crunch. Anthony Milewski. The Oregon Group. April 29, 2026. Why tungsten prices are rising so fast: inside the supply crunch - The Oregon Group - Critical Minerals and Energy Intelligence

US invites proposals to boost supply of tungsten and 12 other critical minerals: The US military is seeking proposals to expand domestic production of 13 critical minerals used in defense and high‑tech applications. The initiative aims to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains amid heightened geopolitical tensions and growing risks to global commodities trade. Sebastian Evelyn. Fastmarkets. March 5, 2026. Tungsten and its role in defense applications - Fastmarkets

Tungsten 2026: Geopolitics sets global tone: The global tungsten market in 2026 is marked by extreme volatility driven by geopolitical tensions, trade disputes, and resource nationalism, especially between China and the US. These dynamics have caused significant supply disruptions and price surges across tungsten products. Claire Patel-Campbell. Fastmarkets. March 18, 2026. Tungsten 2026: Geopolitics sets global tone - Fastmarkets

How the US is bankrolling a worldwide tungsten network: For decades, tungsten sat on the margins of US industrial policy. Despite its essential role in armor piercing munitions, aerospace alloys and advanced manufacturing, the ultra hard metal was sourced overwhelmingly from China, while US domestic mining faded from view. That model is now being dismantled. Shalina Cao. Fastmarkets. April 21, 2026. How the US is bankrolling a worldwide tungsten network - Fastmarkets

US says allies should pay national security premium for critical minerals; market reacts: The US has stepped up calls for its allies to accept higher costs for sourcing critical minerals outside China, arguing that supply chain security must take precedence over price efficiency – a stance that is reshaping expectations across metals markets but has yet to translate into durable pricing support. Shalina Cao, Shiyue Zhao, Nico Zhang, and Zihao Li. Fastmarkets. April 27, 2026. US says allies should pay national security premium for critical minerals - Fastmarkets

RMX Stakes Its Claim in America's Tungsten Revival. Discovery Alert. May 27, 2026.

Skarn. Mahmut MAT - Modified date: 23/04/2023. Geologyscience.com. Skarn | Types, Composition, Formation, Uses - Geology Science