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U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 01-239
Version 1.0
Online Only
2001

Need for Nonfuel Minerals and the Desire for Environmental Integrity -- A Compatible Relation

By Michael J. McKinley

Contents

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Open-File Report 01-239 (215 kb PDF file)

Introduction

This paper examines the public perception of minerals, the role of minerals in our society, the past practices of mining and processing minerals, mining's new ethic, and the challenges in achieving a compatible relation between mining and preserving our environmental integrity.

In the preface of his book, "Mineral Resources, Economics, and the Environment," Kesler stated that the book had been cited as too "industry oriented" by some and too "environmentally oriented" by others. The same philosophy applies to this presentation in that it does not take an advocacy position with regard to the views of mining industry or environmental organizations. Hopefully, the ideas presented here will bring to mind that unless we are willing to make a dramatic reduction in our standard of living, we must find a compatible way to produce and consume the minerals we need without significant degradation of the environment (Kesler, 1994, p. iii-iv).

We are reminded by natural resource agencies and mining industry organizations that the origin of minerals and materials used in our daily lives can be stated as, "What is not grown must be mined." No matter how complex or simple a finished product may be, it exists because of something found in the ground that we can mix, mold, melt, cast, extrude, alloy, grind, stamp, or stretch into something useful (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1995). Mining products have enabled wider distribution of advanced products, such as computers and satellites, and have made the information age possible (National Mining Association, September 1998, The future begins with mining, -- A vision of the mining industry of the future accessed February 26, 1999, at URL http://www.oit.doe.gov/mining/vision.shtml). The extraction, processing, and consumption of minerals, however, pollutes our air, earth, and water resources. Today, our standard of living is the highest ever, but the cost to maintain this standard is high in terms of the amount of minerals needed and their associated degradation of the environment. At the center of this dilemma is the need for this country to have an adequate and dependable supply of minerals and materials to meet its economic and defense needs at acceptable environmental, energy, and economic costs.


U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior
https://pubs.usgs.gov/openfile/of01-239/
Last modified 08.07.01 (jmw)
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