Mining

As geothermal energy interest has grown in Arizona, congressional lawmakers have advanced measures in Washington to give the industry a boost.

There is a growing need domestically for minerals in manufacturing. As a result, more companies are looking to tap into Arizona ore. The family owned Hackberry silver mine near Kingman hadn’t been used since the 1980s, but recently sold for $10 million.

The town of Superior will enter an agreement with the mining company to add water to Queen Creek, which is usually dry.

Lithium is a key metal for electric vehicle batteries and there is a global push to find new sources of it. There is currently only one lithium mine in operation in the United States, but that is about to change — and drastically.

A mining company is considering digging for copper on grazing land near the chapter house of the Coppermine community on the western Navajo Nation.

KJZZ examines the storied history of the state’s five C’s — copper, cotton, cattle, citrus and climate — and the role they still play in modern-day Arizona.