WHAT IS THE BEST DUST CONTROL PRODUCT FOR ROADS?  Spend an hour at an open pit mine and you will quickly discover the most popular dust control agent for dirt roads – water.  Not only is it environmentally friendly, it is relatively cheap if the mine has its own well.  Best of all, it’s effective as long as it stays on the dirt.  However, most miners don’t realize that using water for dust control is penny wise and gallon foolish.

Communication, Public Relations And Image: How Does Mining View Itself ?    Public acceptance and understanding of the mining industry, particularly regarding issues of human safety and environmental threats, have probably never appeared more critical than they are right now. These concerns have always, of course, been “sticking points” in the collective human eye, but as advancing communication technology continues to both perceptively shrink our planet and expand our home and world overview, disseminating accurate information about mineral and resource development becomes increasingly crucial.

Don’t Forget The Threat Of Heavy Metals When we think of mine safety, we think of heavy machinery accidents, rock falls, and silicosis.  However, there are equally threatening, but less visible problems according to occupational health experts.  According to them, the hazards caused by heavy metals are often underestimated because they don’t cause immediate problems, but lead to long term health problems and even cancer.  And, they threaten a long term liability in this law suit crazy era.

February / March 2012

Reclamation And Community Relations Critical To Reopening Mine - As many metals prices go up, mining companies are taking a hard look at reopening old mines and mining ore deposits once thought to be uneconomical.  But, what many mine owners don’t realize is that the way they reclaimed the old mine and treated the local community will have a major impact on getting the new mining permits.

The Rule Of Law - Okay, we may not like all laws, especially when we see those flashing lights behind us when we are speeding.  However, laws set the parameters of a civilization for both the average person and the official.  They not only let us know how far we can go, they allow us to make decisions and investments based on the certainty they give us.

Beryllium Experiences A Renaissance - Beryllium, once the darling of the Cold War and the aerospace industry is experiencing a renaissance.  Beryllium ceramics make solar cells 40% more efficient.  Beryllium alloys are used in thin film solar energy connectors.

There Is A Lot Of Light Coming Out Of The Tunnel – Let’s Hope The Portal Remains Open This Year - January is the time for Super Bowl preparations, the NHL all-star hockey game and for those in the exploration and mining game, conferences that promote companies ready to kick start their 2012 field programs and projects.  The ever popular Cambridge show was an arousing success both in attendance and in the setting in the new Convention Centre in Vancouver.

The Insiders’ Plan is Becoming Exposed - The challenge of writing this bi-monthly column is deciding which of many important topics to cover.   Very little going on today does not have an impact on every person who breathes.  Today, as I write this, we are down to four GOP presidential candidates and a South Carolina primary occurring in a few days.   This coming election, including the primary, along with previous elections, will help determine if the America many of us grew up with will survive or not.

Sage Grouse and the Bureau – Scientific Complex - The domestic lumber industry was devastated by policies to protect the Northern Spotted Owl. By 2004, the US Fish & Wildlife Service established that perhaps all along the larger barred owls simply were eating the spotted owls.

If You Think Mail Service Is Bad Now – How Western Mines Stayed In Contact - A few weeks ago, the United States Postal Service announced that they would be ending one to three day first class delivery; something Americans had grown used to in the last few decades.  The announcement was met with howls of criticism.  However, in an era of phones, the internet, credit cards, overnight shipping, and trucks, it’s hard to realize that over a hundred and fifty years ago, a letter would take over a month to reach California, assuming it hadn’t been lost in a river or captured by Indians.

Coal And The War On Cancer - Obama has promised us a first class health care system.  And, he has promised that he would get rid of coal mining.  Obviously, he is unaware of the number of medicines produced from coal based chemicals.  In an earlier article, we talked about how synthetic quinine was synthesized from coal based chemicals.  There is also aspirin.  However, the history of chemotherapy – targeting cancer cells with drugs - is a history primarily based on chemicals produced from coal.

Talc Mining – Yes, It Is Important - It seems talc is the Rodney Dangerfield of industrial minerals.  In 2010, when the US government decided to sell its defense stockpile of talc minerals, there were no buyers.  It’s still sitting there.  Let’s face it; it’s hard to take a mineral seriously when most people associate it with powdering babies’ bottoms.  Yet, talcum powder is responsible for less than 1% of talc’s demand.