U.S. Mining Industry Sustainability

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Introduction

Sustainability operates on the assumption that virtually all essential human needs rely on natural resources for their fulfillment. As a result, human beings depend on natural resources either directly or indirectly to fulfill their needs.

Sustainability is important since it ensures that human beings interact appropriately with nature to avoid depleting the essential natural resources. It ensures that the activities of human beings do not cause permanent damage to the natural resources. This essay will discuss a sustainability plan in the mining industry in the US .

Frame of Reference for the Industry

Products obtained from mining are used in various functions in hospitals, building houses and automobiles, electricity generation and in production of other commodities that are important in the lives of human beings. In addition, mining has economic significance in the regions where it is practiced. It creates employment opportunities and generates taxes used in paying hospital bills and other social amenities.

Mining industries produce large numbers of trained individuals who contribute positively in building the economy.

The industry is also associated with increased foreign exchange income which boosts the GDP of the US. It supports activities such as manufacture of equipment and provision of services that are environmentally important. Mining is therefore a significant industry in generating wealth and improving the economy of the US .

History of Mining in the US

Mining is an important industry in the US. The country is involved in production of different commodities from coal, copper and gold. The US is a famous exporter of copper and gold with exports amounting to 26 billion dollars every year. The industry contributes significantly in the economy of the country since it employs more than 3 million people.

The US has a long mining history where mining of coal is believed to have started 1000 AD, when the mineral was used by Indians in baking pottery from clay. The US is subdivided into 10 provinces where mining usually takes place. All the mining provinces have different geological histories and peculiar features. The different provinces have different deposits of minerals which are extracted to produce different commodities .

Since mining is an important industry in the US, it is therefore important for the country to take care of its natural resources. Extraction of minerals is a major economic activity that contributes significantly in improving US economy. Without the natural minerals, the industry cannot be sustainable.

Mining companies rely on natural resources such as coal, copper and gold which are extracted and exported to other countries. The US is among the countries that export large quantities of these minerals. A sustainability plan is therefore important in the US mining industry to ensure that the country uses the natural resources properly. Without proper use of the natural resources, overexploitation would lead to collapse of the industry.

US Mining Laws

The US government has enacted mining laws that influence the decisions made by mining companies. The laws regulate all the mining activities hence they must be followed by mining companies. One of the reasons why the government has laws to govern mining activities is that mining can be a dangerous activity and unless it is regulated, it might end up causing harm to both the miners and the surrounding communities.

These laws affect the decisions that mining companies make in different ways since they must be followed strictly. Some of the mining laws that influence the decisions of mining companies require mining sites to be located in particular places.

Mining companies are restricted by law from extracting minerals from public land to avoid environmental degradation. The companies are also required by law to observe safety measures when doing their activities. It is a requirement by the government that their mining activities should not expose the surrounding communities to danger.

Sustainability Plan

Many people argue that mining is not a sustainable activity since it is involved in exploitation and development of resources which are non-renewable. Other people hold different views as they look at mining companies as important participants in the production process. As a result, they are able to convert non-renewable resources into wealth.

The wealth can in turn be used to enhance sustainable development in the regions where the mining activities take place. This often presents a challenge to leaders and policy makers in the mining industry. Developing an effective sustainability plan requires the players in the mining industry to pay close attention to various issues (Lins & Horwtz, 2007). A sustainability plan in the mining industry will comprise of the following aspects.

Environmental Sustainability

Mining activities usually result in different impacts on the environment. They lead to environmental pollution which varies depending on the material used in the mining process and the operations performed on the mining surfaces. Stakeholders are particularly concerned about the impact of mining activities on biodiversity.

Mining companies try to be innovative but they find themselves being forced to rely on energy derived from petroleum and coal. These sources of energy are associated with global warming and climate changes.

Most companies involved in mining have realized that their activities pose a threat to the environment hence they should look for ways of eliminating emission of toxic gases. The smelting and combustion services that take place in mining companies lead to production of harmful gases such as sulfur dioxide and nitrogen. Mining activities also pose a threat to the ozone through production of gases such as fluoride.

The quality of air around mines is fragile and for sustainability to be achieved, mining companies should reduce the activities that lead to production of harmful gases (Lins & Horwtz, 2007).

Mining companies should also adopt sustainable use of water because this is a big challenge to most of them. They use water to convert ore into metals. In producing gold, the process involves using a mixture of water and cyanide to separate the metal from ore.

This process results in tailings which present challenges for mining companies. For sustainability to be achieved, the companies should seek to deal with previous damages caused to water sources. It should also be their endeavor to ensure that people living near mining sites have clean water for domestic use.

Mining companies should also be concerned about waste products produced during the mining processes. Mining wastes such as waste rocks which are full of toxic metals should be disposed in an environmentally safe manner. For example, open pit mining leads to destruction of the earth’s landscape. Attempts to reestablish the initial state of the earth should therefore not be done by using methods such as filling the waste rocks.

Minimizing the impacts of mining on the biodiversity is a major way of sustaining the environment that mining companies should seek. Creation of new mines by mining companies often clears vegetation and leads to destruction of animal habitats.

Mining companies are therefore supposed to avoid using the environment in a way that destroys biodiversity and habitats. Mining companies are encouraged to use sustainable and eco efficient methods to avoid releasing poisonous substances into the environment (Lins & Horwtz, 2007).

Social Sustainability

Mining companies are faced with the challenge of ensuring that the workers and the communities surrounding mining sites are safe. Reputable and famous companies in the mining industry should implement mechanisms of ensuring that the workers are safe. Some of the safety mechanisms include occupational safety training and health care.

Mining companies have been concerned about the prevalence of endemic diseases in the mining regions. These endemic diseases endanger the lives of communities living in mining areas. In addition, they reduce the workforce for the mining companies. When it comes to labor practices, mining companies are also faced with numerous challenges.

To begin with, the companies are expected to employ and maintain quality employees. In addition to this, they are expected to facilitate their workers in advancing their educational qualifications. For these companies to be sustainable, it is advisable for them to hire workers from diverse professions and also include women in their workforce. They should then provide the workers with opportunities to grow in their work.

Mining companies are also supposed to increase the safety of their workers in the workplace and provide channels through which workers can communicate their grievances. This would enable the companies to establish productive relationships with their workers (McKinley, 2011).

Another social aspect that is important for sustainability in mining is the issue of human rights. Some mining companies have comprehensive programs on human rights and other programs that prevent discrimination. They also have policies that attempt to fight child or forced labor.

Since mining activities have been cited as activities that affect the surrounding communities negatively, mining companies are supposed to come up with sustainable plans to benefit these communities.

For instance, they should design detailed plans of assisting the communities generate income and increase their access to infrastructure and other social services. Some companies even facilitate education and other training programs aimed at equipping the local residents with particular skills.

The last issue concerning social sustainability is the economic welfare of the surrounding communities after closure of mining sites. In the past, the closure of mining sites left the surrounding communities in economic uncertainties.

However, mining companies should look for ways of creating sustainable employment opportunities to ensure that the communities surrounding mining sites are not left in desperate conditions when the mining companies terminate their activities. In addition, development of mining sites implies that holders of the lands where the mines are developed undergo displacement.

It is important for mining companies to ensure that compensation is done appropriately since lack of compensation may cause the surrounding communities to oppose the mining activities (Lins & Horwtz, 2007).

Economic Sustainability

It has been argued that mining companies operate in ways that do not guarantee continued economic sustainability. For instance, if the companies fail to operate responsibly in the social and environmental aspects, the level of trust mining companies have with other organizations reduces.

This mistrust causes investors to lose confidence in the mining companies resulting in decline in the investment potential of the companies. For mining companies to maintain economic sustainability, it is important for them to take various factors into consideration.

Apart from the traditional aspects of the economy such as debts and payments, there are many other factors that mining companies should put into consideration. For example the companies should pay close attention to the investments that go to the public sector in addition to the money they pay to the government .

Mining companies have a responsibility in contributing towards economic sustainability in the regions they operate. They should ensure that they leave behind means through which the surrounding communities can sustain themselves after closure of the mines.

When identifying mining sites, mining companies are encouraged to start mining activities in regions where the stakeholders are interested in economic development. After identifying the sites, they are supposed to formulate policies to assess the contribution they will make towards economic development in the regions.

The goods, services and materials to be used in the companies should be largely drawn from the surrounding communities in order to increase economic sustainability for both the companies and the surrounding people. Since there might arise corruption cases regarding payments, mining companies are encouraged to observe high level of transparency by revealing all taxes paid during their operations.

Donations made to the companies should also be disclosed since there are various initiatives that require companies to disclose such information.

Country Level of Governance

The levels of governance in countries where mining companies operate are important in increasing sustainability. Transparency, regulation and taxation are important in reducing the effects brought about by mining activities. Mining is attributed with what is referred to as the mining curse which states that countries with mineral wealth are usually slow in development.

This is applicable mostly to countries whose GDP relies on extraction of minerals. Most of these countries suffer from bad governance and authoritarian leaderships. They are characterized by instances of civil strife which affect the sustainability of mining activities.

Mining is also attributed with investment of huge amounts of money in the industry at the expense of other industries. This increases the exchange rates causing a reduction in the competitiveness of the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.

As a result, a country is forced to import more as the rate of exports goes down. Mining has the capacity of increasing sustainability as well as increasing disparities in the distribution of wealth which may result in poverty. Countries that highly depend on minerals also face a great risk of suffering from frequent economic shocks.

Management Techniques of Achieving Recommendations

For the sustainability recommendations made to be implemented, mining companies have to use different management techniques. The first management technique that the companies can use is delegation of duties. The management of mining companies comprises of different departments which require good management.

Delegation of duties with clear guidelines to departmental managers on what is required of them is important in implementing the sustainability plan. If duties are well delegated to the various managers, all departments in the companies become productive and this assists in the implementation of economic sustainability.

The second management technique that is important in implementing the recommendations is improvement of communication strategies. Communication is very essential in any organization particularly in mining companies where it helps in eliminating some of the negative impacts of mining processes (Richards, 2009).

For instance, mining companies should initiate communication with the surrounding communities on how they can be involved in the mining activities for them to contribute positively towards eliminating the negative impacts of the mining activities.

The third management technique that is important in implementing the recommendations is establishing political connections. As stated earlier, mining is influenced by the governance level of a country. There are some recommendations that require mining companies to have political connections.

Without such connections, implementation of the sustainability plan becomes a problem. When political connections are established, it becomes easy for the companies to access government legislations that are important in the industry.

Barriers of Implementation

The implementation of the sustainability plan is expected to experience some barriers. However, the most important thing is how the barriers are dealt with. The first barrier that might present itself in implementing the recommendations is lack of enough finances to support all the projects.

The mining companies have to get involved in many projects such as the ones intended at improving the economic welfare of the surrounding communities. There are also other projects of dealing with the environmental degradation that is associated with mining activities.

This barrier can be solved by looking for alternative sources of funding from different places. This ensures that mining companies have enough money to finance all their activities (McKinley, 2011).

The second barrier that mining companies might face in implementing the sustainability plan is conflict of interest with mining laws set by the government. Since mining activities are regulated by the government, mining companies might find themselves in problems when it comes to complying with the mining laws.

For instance, it is advisable for mining companies to establish mining sites in regions where the surrounding communities will benefit economically. The conflict of interest arises in the sense that some of the regions may be prohibited by the government.

This barrier can be solved by establishment of good communication between the companies and the government authorities. This ensures that they get legal permission to carry out their activities in the specific regions.

The third barrier that mining companies may face in their attempts to implement the sustainability plan is opposition from the surrounding communities. Mining activities are known to degrade the environment in areas where they take place resulting in economic decline in the regions.

The surrounding communities who are concerned about the economical impacts of mining activities may oppose the setting up of mines within their surroundings. This barrier can be solved by the mining companies first establishing good relations with the residents in the areas they want to establish the mines.

After establishing good relations, they should go ahead to explain to the residents how the mines can benefit them and the mechanisms to be used in avoiding negative environmental and economic impacts. This reduces the opposition that the mining companies might face in implementing the sustainability plan .

Conclusion

Mining industry is an important industry in the economy of the US. The country has historically been involved in extraction of minerals such as copper, gold and coal. Although mining is important to the economic well being of the country, it also impacts the country and the surrounding communities negatively.

A sustainability plan is an important step towards ensuring that the industry remains beneficial and relevant to the country. Through a sustainability plan, the mining companies are able to monitor their activities. In some instances, mining activities affect the economies of the surrounding communities and leave the environment degraded. However, with the presence of a sustainability plan the negative impacts of mining are avoided.

References

BLM. (2001). Abandoned Mine Lands Cleanup Program. Web.

Botin, J. (2009). Sustainable Management of Mining Operations. Colorado: SME.

EPA. (n.d). What is sustainability? Web.

IBR. (2007). Mines and Mining Laws of Latin America. New York: General Books LLC.

Lins, C., & Horwtz, E. (2007). Sustainability in the Mining Sector. Web.

McKinley, M. (2011). Mining. Web.

Msha. (2011). Mining History, Museums and Disasters. Web.

Richards, J. (2009). Mining, Society, and a Sustainable World. New York: Springer.

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