October 06, 2026

Rare Earth Elements: Is US Reliance on Chinese Imports Coming to an End?

October 06, 2026/ Matthew Schwarzenbach

The clock is ticking on the US-China trade truce as the US government and american mining companies race to supposedly decouple from chinese rare earth element (ree) supply chains. but where will the US turn to for its rees, and how feasible is decoupling by early-2027. SDSG intern Matthew Schwarzenbach tells us it’s not so simple, but SDSG’s new Global inventory of advanced ree assets allows us to understand where the us will likely look both at home and abroad.

September 08, 2026

What Surrounds the Deposit: Experiences from the WARM-SEG Field Course on Mine Reclamation

September 08, 2026/ Matthew Schwarzenbach

Copper built the American grid. The tailings pond at Chino is where the full weight of that fact becomes visible: a flat sheet of teal cut into the surrounding waste rock’s dull silver, vast in the particular way that only things built to last centuries can be. The energy transition will need more of what this ground has produced. The question is whether we have learned anything from what it left behind.

February 13, 2026

Mining Legacy, Living Landscape: A Field Study of Uranium on the Navajo Nation

February 13, 2026/ Luke Danielson

In the Southwestern U.S., uranium mining powered national ambitions, transformed landscapes, and left behind challenges that persist decades later. Drawing on observations from a recent field course in the Four Corners region, Luke Danielson, President of Sustainable Development Strategies Group, explores what the Navajo Nation’s experience reveals about the legacies of mining, reclamation work, and the importance of learning directly from the places and people affected.

February 05, 2026

Aluminum: The Hidden Carbon Cost No One Is Talking About

February 05, 2026/ Bennett Jarvis

Aluminum is a pillar of sustainable infrastructure and green technologies, appearing in everything from the batteries in our phones to the electric cars we drive. However, its production cannot be truly called “green” until its full climate impact is acknowledged and accounted for. Maria Guillamont, a Juris Doctor candidate at Lewis & Clark Law School and Legal Intern at SDSG, has been researching the overlooked environmental impact of aluminum – and why it matters now more than ever.

Blog

SDSG