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domestic mining, mineral, metal, and mineral reclamation industries are essential to our economy and our national defense. The value of processed (nonfuel) materials of mineral origin produced in the United States totaled approximately $360 billion in 1994. During the lifetime of the average American, he or she will use:

"
-3,600 lbs (1,600 Kg) of Aluminum
-800 lbs (360 Kg) of Zinc

-25,000 lbs (11,300 Kg) of Clay
-56,000 lbs (25,400 Kg) of Steel
-800 lbs (360 Kg) of Lead
-1,500 lbs (680 Kg) of Copper
-27,000 lbs (12,200 Kg) of Salt
-More than 500,000 lbs (226,000 Kg) of Coal
-More than 1 Million lbs (453,000 Kg) of stone, sand, gravel, and cement

As you can see, the mineral extractive industries play a critical role in the vitality of our Nation's economy, in our standard of living, and in our personal lives." -U.S.B.M

What's with the controversy?

As far as controversy goes, environmentalists are worried that mining is destroying this world. The fact is, without mining, we would not have a world to destroy to begin with! In the case of a mudslide in a river, capable of destroying a population of fish through sediment dispersal and etc, what do we do? We dig the mud out, and patch things up. Without mining, we wouldn't have had the steel to make the loader that moved the mud out of the river. There are heavy metals pollution in many of our lakes and streams. Much of that is cleaned up using equipment also made possible by mining. Dredges, commercial and recreational both, extract any heavy materials from the streambeds, which are processed out of the environment.

Of great concern is Acid Rock Drainage. Since heavy metals pollution only affects the nervous systems of animals, and vitamins and minerals in our diet, as well as the proper foods can detoxify and remove heavy metals from our bodies, I believe ARD to be a far greater threat. ARD is caused when rainwater runs off of leach piles and sometimes tailings piles, increasing the PH of lakes and rivers. However, this process happens naturally, regardless of whether or not mining activity has taken place. Just as those commercials on TV say "Try our product, they are all natural!" Hold it just a minute... What is wrong with that statement? Well, "All Natural" does not mean a thing. Cyanide is all natural... Arsenic, Lead, Mercury, is every bit as "natural" as herbs and fruit. Many veins that are mined have lain exposed to the surface for many centuries, eroding, leaching into the environment. Regardless of man's intervention,

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