The Lavender Pit opened in 1877 and was operated by Phelpsdogge Corporation from 1879 to 1975 in Bisbee, Arizona on July 24, 2020. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images
The U.S. Department of the Interior is proposing to add six “mineral products” to its list of key minerals as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to encourage domestic production and processing of metals, minerals and rare earth elements essential to the country’s economy and defense.
Potassium, silicon, copper, silver, rhenium and lead are recommended by the US Geological Survey (USGS) for inclusion in the list officially listed in the Federal Register on August 26th.