OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The firm working to build a mine in southeast Nebraska to extract a rare heat-resistant element says the project won’t need to dump saltwater in the Missouri River.
NioCorp Developments said Tuesday the proposed niobium mine near Elk Creek won’t need an expensive water line to the river, and the project won’t need two federal permits.
The change is possible because NioCorp recently determined that the proposed mine will produce significantly less bedrock water.
NioCorp CEO Mark Smith says this change will reduce the environmental impact of the proposed mine.
The U.S. currently imports nearly all the niobium that’s used in this country to harden steel and make it more heat-resistant for industrial uses.
NioCorp is based in Centennial, Colorado.