The world’s No. 1 platinum miner said the price of the metal could climb more than 80% over the next four to five years as the global economy recovers and supply dwindles.
Native communities that ring the Atacama worry that mining may be depleting scarce freshwater and lithium-rich brine, reducing its availability for people and wildlife.
The next three to six months will be crucial to the future of the vast copper-gold mine, as the companies behind the operation negotiate with the government.
The US Forest Service published a final environmental impact statement for the project that critics say will destroy sites deemed sacred by Native Americans.