Dominican Larimar Mine’s Safety Crisis Exposes Regulatory Failures and Risks American Interests

Deep in the Dominican Republic, some 700 miners risk life and limb daily extracting larimar—the world’s rarest semiprecious blue stone found nowhere else on Earth. Located roughly 200 kilometers southwest of Santo Domingo, this unique mine serves not just as a source of national pride but also as a strategic resource whose security deserves serious attention from America and its allies. Is This How We Safeguard Critical Minerals? The conditions inside these larimar mines remain unquestionably hazardous. Miners descend into tunnels up to 50 meters deep, secured only by harnesses or ropes. Wooden beams prop up most galleries, a fragile...