Location
Rolla, Missouri
Presentation Date
16 Apr 1969 - 18 Apr 1969
Description
FORWARD: Environmental problems in our complex industrial society have, in the past decade, assumed immense proportions. A population growth which will double the number of persons in the United States and in the total world in the next thirty years makes it imperative that greater care and consideration be given to the effects of industrialization on all our lives.
All industry is fair game for the advocate that suggest that there should be no change in what nature has given us. If these persons were to be followed, there would be no industrialization, no improvement in living conditions, working hours, and leisure time than when American was first settled. Others would have the so-called “good life”, vast residential sub divisions spreading out from our cities, super-highways, shopping centers, two cars for every family and at the same time assume that our country and our technical know-how will be able to easily cope with the problems created. Obviously, neither extreme can be followed but there must be some middle road which should be taken
No industry is less understood than the mineral industry. Even though it underpins the entire industrial complex of our nation, few people know where our raw materials come from or have any understanding of the operation of an industry that is based upon a depleting asset which can not be replaced except by new discovery. Miners are so efficient producing raw materials that today one man may produce as much tonnage as ten men did twenty years ago. The mineral industry represents only 3% of the gross national product but, directly or indirectly, 75% of our gross national product is dependent upon it.
Since few people are employed in this industry, there is little knowledge of the role it plays in our complex society. The general public only hears of the industry when it reads of some mine disaster or other spectacular event such as the leakage of oil from an offshore oil well. Consequently, the public image of the industry can only be described as "bad".
Recently there has been tremendous pressure exerted on industry of all kinds, but particularly on the mineral industry, to improve its practices in the areas of land reclamation, mine safety, control of air and water pollution, etc. All states with any mining are, or already have, passed new legislation that restricts and limits the activity of the miner. While much of this legislation is long overdue, there is a great danger of over-reaction and a lack of understanding on the part of legislators and the general public as to the efforts of the industry and professionals working within it to solve these problems. Much has been done.
The next conference of this type will be held on the campus of the University of Arizona in the spring of 1970. This conference will be co-sponsored by the University of Missouri-Rolla. The final program for this conference will be mailed to conferees when scheduling is complete.
Meeting Name
Mining Environmental Conference (1969: Apr. 16-18, Rolla, MO)
Department(s)
Mining Engineering
Document Type
Conference proceedings
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 1969 University of Missouri--Rolla, All rights reserved.
Included in
Proceedings of the Mining Environmental Conference (1969, Rolla, MO)
Rolla, Missouri
FORWARD: Environmental problems in our complex industrial society have, in the past decade, assumed immense proportions. A population growth which will double the number of persons in the United States and in the total world in the next thirty years makes it imperative that greater care and consideration be given to the effects of industrialization on all our lives.
All industry is fair game for the advocate that suggest that there should be no change in what nature has given us. If these persons were to be followed, there would be no industrialization, no improvement in living conditions, working hours, and leisure time than when American was first settled. Others would have the so-called “good life”, vast residential sub divisions spreading out from our cities, super-highways, shopping centers, two cars for every family and at the same time assume that our country and our technical know-how will be able to easily cope with the problems created. Obviously, neither extreme can be followed but there must be some middle road which should be taken
No industry is less understood than the mineral industry. Even though it underpins the entire industrial complex of our nation, few people know where our raw materials come from or have any understanding of the operation of an industry that is based upon a depleting asset which can not be replaced except by new discovery. Miners are so efficient producing raw materials that today one man may produce as much tonnage as ten men did twenty years ago. The mineral industry represents only 3% of the gross national product but, directly or indirectly, 75% of our gross national product is dependent upon it.
Since few people are employed in this industry, there is little knowledge of the role it plays in our complex society. The general public only hears of the industry when it reads of some mine disaster or other spectacular event such as the leakage of oil from an offshore oil well. Consequently, the public image of the industry can only be described as "bad".
Recently there has been tremendous pressure exerted on industry of all kinds, but particularly on the mineral industry, to improve its practices in the areas of land reclamation, mine safety, control of air and water pollution, etc. All states with any mining are, or already have, passed new legislation that restricts and limits the activity of the miner. While much of this legislation is long overdue, there is a great danger of over-reaction and a lack of understanding on the part of legislators and the general public as to the efforts of the industry and professionals working within it to solve these problems. Much has been done.
The next conference of this type will be held on the campus of the University of Arizona in the spring of 1970. This conference will be co-sponsored by the University of Missouri-Rolla. The final program for this conference will be mailed to conferees when scheduling is complete.
