Today's Video Headlines: 3/30/2026
Conservationists are seething over the high likelihood that a critical habitat for desert tortoises will be impacted by a rare earth mining project. Australian mining company Dateline Resources last month acquired a Music Valley heavy rare earth elements project, located just north ofsuch as dysprosium and terbium are needed for defense systems, advanced electronics and environmental technologies like wind turbines.
Samplings in the area indicate there’s a heavy presence, the company said.“Music Valley gives Dateline direct exposure to heavy rare earth mineralization in California with historically reported high-grade total rare earth oxide results and strong heavy rare earth enrichment,” managing director Stephen Baghdadi said. NASA astronaut reveals 'out of the blue' health scare that prompted first ISS evacuation — as cause remains a mysteryThe project is pending as Dateline commences exploration of the area, such as with mapping and rock chip sampling, the company “The company will continue to move quickly and methodically to determine whether it can become part of that solution,” Baghdadi said of the Music Valley area.Environmentalists, however, are not keen on the idea of a mining project so close to the 1,200-square-mile desert national parkParticularly, there is the Mojave desert tortoise, an endangered species, which is highly dependent on the sweeping desert landscape. “It’s hard to think of a worse place for a massive industrial project than sensitive desert tortoise habitat on the very edge of Joshua Tree National Park,” Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, told theThe occurrence of rare earths mining — which can involve jackhammers, dynamite, toxic waste and radiation — might permanently damage the area and draw in traffic and light pollution, Cummings added.Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said that “it’s hard to think of a worse place” for the mining project.“They don’t respect public lands, national parks or the law, so there’s every reason to be deeply concerned about this proposal,” Huffman said. “The United States urgently needs domestic sources of heavy rare earths. Dysprosium, terbium and yttrium are strategic materials, and secure supply is no longer optional, it is essential,” Baghdadi said. The company hasn’t yet publicly said anything regarding its impact on the tortoise and other wildlife. The California Post reached out to the company for comment.Delta flight's engine explodes in heart-stopping video — forcing packed plane to make emergency landingBritney Spears reunites with son Sean Preston, 20, on yacht trip after DUI arrestHe killed her, then disappeared: The $250K reward for a decade-old murder | Forgotten FugitivesThe occurrence of rare earths mining might damage the area and draw in traffic and light pollution, critics say.Brendan Cummings, conservation director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said that"it's hard to think of a worse place" for the mining project. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
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