Bogley

[accadacca]

Hey rockgremlin,

I was watching a special on mining & earthmovers last night on the history channel. Pretty interesting stuff! They talked about how coal mining is really the only mining that is regulated strictly. The other mining that I think they called “hard rock” didn’t have to do as much to keep in line. Like covering their tracks. They talked about how the mining industry is really out of control. The old laws from the late 1800’s are still in effect and really are outdated. These big companies just show up and really wreck the environment and don’t have to fix it. They leave big holes and such! One guy said that they don’t just negatively affect the environment they remove it.

They showed the equipment, which was cool. They had this crane thing for open pit mining that had the reach of a football field. It could scoop up a lot of earth. I think one stat that was interesting was that the mining industry labor (employment) was down 80% after all the new earth moving equipment and technology showed up.

acca

[Sombeech]

Did it show anything on Kennecott?

[accadacca]

Yes. It is the largest open pit mine in the world. Rockgremlin is finishing up his mining engineering degree. So I asked him cause he is a rock hound. Interesting special.

[Sombeech]

Mining engineering, huh? Cool. Where do you want to work with that? (Rockgremlin)

[accadacca]

I havne't seem him on here for a while. I will send him a PM and alert him of the post. He just got back into school from the break. That damn calculus sh%*! No way in H double hockey sticks that I would pass.

[Sombeech]

I'm glad my math classes are over. If I would have gotten off my butt and got my Assoc Degree earlier, I would'nt have had to take any math, cuz I clepped out in High School, but I waited to long. :x But Iwas done a couple of summers ago anyways.

Don is stuck taking Math 955 this semester. :P

Yeah, I just stopped in at the office tonight. I borrowed the Work Truck to take my lumber home. I just got through unloading it into my basement, and now I've come back to get my car. I don't think I'll be online much longer.

[accadacca]

Sombeech wrote: Don is stuck taking Math 955 this semester. :P
That was me. I remember hiding my book. I didn't want the chicks to know that I was taking the idiot math.

Sombeech wrote: I don't think I'll be online much longer.
Have a good one! :thumb:

[rockgremlin]

Hey sorry for the late reply, just blew in from Las Vegas.

Well, about hard rock mining - first off, let me say this: The History Channel is NOT the most objective source of information when it comes to mining. That's like watching soap operas to get marital advice! If you think hard-rock mining isn't tightly regulated, think again! Go ask Kennecott how many times in the past year they have been cited by DOGM and other regulatory agencies for not crossing every T and dotting every i. EVERYTHING they do out there they have to report in writing before the fact, and I mean EVERYTHING. They can't fart out there without first having to report to state and federal regulatory agencies! And all this nonsense about them "getting away" with stuff and maybe not reporting - it's all a bunch of Bull$&%t cooked up by the environmentalist fairies to slander the reputation of the mining industry. I have worked two summers now as an intern at DOGM (the state agency that regulates all mining activity), and I have seen what goes on. These people are genuinely concerned for the environment, and ensure that the mines are reporting everything - after all, its their backyard after the mining companies move on!!

Granted, (and everyone will agree with me on this) the mining industry doesn't have a very good track record. In the past they ripped apart the environment and then moved on without cleaning up the mess. But those days are long gone. During the 1960s and 1970s federal laws were passed regulating the mining industry, and have been firmly in place ever since. In fact, nowadays, a mining company has to have funds set aside to clean up their messes UP FRONT, BEFORE THEY ARE ALLOWED TO DO ANY MINING WHATSOEVER! That's a federal law. If they can't afford to clean up their mess, they can't mine - period. I'm guessing the History channel didn't make that fact clear. :roll:

The fact of the matter is that mining companies are multi-million dollar corporations who used to get away with quite a bit - in the past. Currently there is a serious movement within the mining industry to be more environmentally responsible for two major reasons: Its what their shareholders demand, and its what the public expects. No longer can they continue to be "environmental rapists" - they can't afford to. It's only in their best interest to be more earth friendly - anything less just generates bad publicity.

It's true that automation has made it so that mining doesn't require as large of a labor force as it did say 50 years ago. But that automation has also made mining safer. Here's another fun fact the History channel didn't mention: Coal mining today is 50 times safer today than it was in 1910. Back in the early 1900's between 2000 - 3000 workers would die in coal mines per year. Nowadays that number is less than 50! And get this:

Statistically (according to 2004 figures from the department of labor), a late-night 7-11 attendant is a more dangerous job than a miner!!! :rifle:

Crazy but true!

Regardless, mining continues to be a major employer. Heck if it weren't for coal mining, the towns of Price, Helper, Huntington, Emery, etc would all dry up and blow away.

[accadacca]

Interesting special nonetheless. Didn’t mean for it to get your panties in a wad. If they are? I was mainly amazed by the new equipment that they have. Then they showed the evolution of this equipment. From the first dump trucks to the first dirt plows that they would drag behind the earliest bulldozers. That was when Eisenhower was having roads, dams, etc built and all hell broke loose with construction. Getting everyone back to work after the depression. Things have never been the same since. For good & bad.

Get a new post going on your marathon. How did it go and such? The weather was probably perfect? Man you really must feel like a trucker the last month.

[rockgremlin]

Ya, mining is kind of a touchy subject with me, mainly because every time it shows up in the media, it's being slandered and maligned with misinformation. I'm constantly having to correct the lies and half-truths broadcasted throughout the media about mining. It gets old.

But you're right about the machinery. The biggest industrial equipment in the world was developed for mining. Last fall I went to MinExpo in Las Vegas, and they had on display all of those big trucks/cranes/shovels/drill rigs that you saw on T.V. They even let us climb up inside of em! It's amazing the technology they've come out with. The latest big toy was a 400 ton truck made by Liebherr. It's the biggest truck in the world right now. "400 ton truck" means that it can hold a load of 400 tons. I don't even know how much it weighs empty, but probably around the same amount. So maybe 800 tons, loaded - mindblowing!! They're constantly coming out with bigger trucks. I've seen plans drawn up for a 1000 ton truck. WOW! :shock:

Speaking of Vegas, yes, I am definitely feeling like a trucker these days. We drove down on friday, drove back yesterday. I never want to drive that stretch again for at least another 6 months!!

I'll start another thread about the 1/2 marathon...