Engineering and Mining Journal - Whether the market is copper, gold, nickel, iron ore, lead/zinc, PGM, diamonds or other commodities, E&MJ takes the lead in projecting trends, following development and reporting on the most efficient operating pr
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USA MINING "In the case of uranium that feeds our nuclear power fleet, U.S. production supplies less than 15% of our domestic needs. This is not because we lack the resources, but rather due to the absence of supporting policies that will allow us to unlock them." fully by mining and other industries globally to drive continuous improvement in safety performance. It is tailored specifically for mining, and it is designed to complement existing systems and to assist those operations lacking a systems approach. We believe CORESafety can assist any company no matter where they find themselves on the journey to zero harm. CORESafety is increasingly being recognized as a resource for safety and operations personnel to drive improvement in their safety performance. With mine safety as our first priority today, we can ensure that it is our proudest accomplishment tomorrow. Matters Beyond our Control So much for the factors we can control. Now let me turn now to matters outside our control that will influence our performance. Start with energy. Virtually every segment of our industry contributes to our energy supply chain. But for the moment, let me speak to coal and uranium, which provide almost two-thirds of our base-load electricity generation. Here we see a chasm larger than the Grand Canyon between the rhetoric and reality with our public policies. In Washington, as well as state capitals, everyone talks about "all-of-theabove," but few have the courage to walk it. Instead, we find a mixture of state and federal initiatives that on the one hand set aside market shares for politically-picked sources and suppress others that have and will continue to serve our nation well. In the case of uranium that feeds our nuclear power fleet, U.S. production supplies less than 15% of our domestic needs. This is not because we lack the resources, but rather due to the absence of supporting policies that will allow us to unlock them. Case in point—the U.S. Department of the Interior withdrew from future development more than 1 million acres containing some of our richest uranium resources. The scope of this mineral withdrawal is unprecedented. It's also mysterious since it was done despite the agency's own finding that uranium mining did not pose any significant threat. The Case for Coal Perhaps no energy source has received more ink of late than coal. It dominated the presidential debates, garnered more attention than perhaps we desired from the administration, and remains the subject of unfounded speculation about its demise. There are more than several buckets of material we need to move before we get to the truth. Let me try in three passes: First: Coal's centrality to the world's future prosperity is indisputable. It has been the fastest growing energy source over www.e-mj.com AUGUST 2013 • E&MJ; 77