The amount of mining worldwide is expected to increase significantly to meet the needs for AI, the green energy transition, and transportation. This increased activity will have a huge impact on the communities that live near mines. The papers in this session will address the question of how best can mine operators and communities work together to further economic development while minimizing negative impacts. We hope to address a variety of different critical minerals and materials across multiple geographies. Papers can apply a variety of methodologies from community-based research and interviews to AI-driven sentiment analysis of local media and social media discussions of the mining projects. We are particularly interested in solutions-oriented approaches that an help to reduce the regulatory burden while at the same time moving closer to an ideal of giving communities the ability to engage in processes allowing for free, prior, and informed consent.