I THINK MINING - has moved!

When the Columbia River was dammed by glacial ice, sediments deposited in the deep valleys of northern Washington State. Amax sought to develop a molybdenum mine just off the Columbia in the Colville Tribe reserve. I was brought across to design the tailings impoundment at the selected site. I was brought across because preliminary surveys had revealed up to 30 meters of soft, unconsolidated mud filling the selected valley, and after all, I had just succeeded with a similar soil deposit in South Africa.

To contain the calculated volume of tailings from the proposed mine, the impoundment would have to be 1,000-ft high, an unprecedented height in 1980, but more common now. A quick calculation revealed that the rate of rise was so fast that no amount of expedited drainage of excess pore pressure would yield a fast enough gain of strength to provide the required stability. We had to find another way.

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The Iowa land is changed in every way from what it was before the coming of the farmers.  Is this a lesson in sustainable development for modern mining companies?  They came and cut the trees, ploughed the grasses under, fertilized the soil, dammed the creeks, and built houses. They established their farms that now produce corn and soya bean which in turn feeds pigs and chickens and ethanol plants.

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Here is more on the Iowa farm house. It is early morning. The tulips outside my study window are white and pink awaiting the sun to open to their full glory. The birds are chirping and the geese are already fretting over their two new eggs. The dog, a small mongrel jack-russell terrier, is flashing around the lawn sniffing for signs of the feral cat and maybe the coyotes that visit in the night.

On the kitchen table built by me from old cedar planks pulled from the 1920s corn crib is a pile of fresh wild asparagus picked from the ditches at sunset; we will cut them and lightly cook them with cream for lunch.

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Spring is coming and I go south and to Iowa to a farm.  I will post less on this blog.  Here is a description of what awaits me and why my writing and posting rate will decline.

Two and a half miles north-east of Belle Plaine along gravel roads is the farm: 160 acres of sodden land, ploughed and awaiting the spring planting of corn and soya beans. The natural grasses are green, the trees still bare, and the bird flock around the barns for last-years droppings. The pond embankment is falling in, a victim of winter’s freeze and the subsequent thaw. Pieces of the garage roof blown off by the winter winds litter the gravel drive and pieces of wood from the corners of the house lie amidst the sprouting bulbs soon to burst into yellow and purple.

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In the April 2, 2007 New Yorker Jeffrey Goldberg writes of the trials and tribulations of working for Wal-Mart.  He notes the chain’s claim that there are more people applying for jobs with Wal-Mart than there are jobs available.  Keep in mind there still seem to be more jobs than people applying in the mining industry.

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The good news is that the Canadian Press reports that cleanup of abandoned uranium mines is about to begin in northern Saskatchewan.  Apparently $25 million has been budgeted to “control the radiation risk.”   Here is more from the relevant report:

Most of the mines operated briefly near Uranium City a half a century ago, during the Cold War era.  Following the completion of their operations, the mines were abandoned at a time when environmental standards were limited or non-existent.  Since the companies that operated the mines no longer exist, the responsibility for the cleanup has fallen on governments.  The management of the project has been contracted to the Saskatchewan Research Council.

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Who can resist the human story that shines through the screen of a well compiled website?  I cannot, so here is one site that epitomizes the human story and that is thankfully free of the guff that too often spoils things.  What follows is a cut & paste with heavy edit from their site to tell you the story that fascinated me.  This is, however, still Mr. Skinner’s voice.

I’ve been in mining since I was 12 years old pushing ore carts in my father’s mine. I learned the mining industry from the ground up. After high school I graduated from the Mackay School of Mines.  I have nospent over 50 years in the industry.

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Here is a brief survey of wages  - are you earning enoughand salaries in Canadian mines in 2006.  Hope this helps you in getting the 2007 remuneration you deserve and merit.   The information comes via kind favor of Jennifer Leinart of Cost Mine whose compilation Canadian Mine Salaries, Wages & Benefits 2006 Survey Results provides all the data you could ever need.  

Surface mine electricians are doing best.  Their salary range is $22.50 to $41.35.   Mechanics do pretty well with a range of $14.70 to $41.35.  And so do heavy equipment operators who start at $13.50 but can also earn as much as the top-paid electrician and mechanic.   One almost begins to pity the drill operators with an average hourly wage of $24.84, the truck driver at $21.61, and particularly the laborer who starts at $8.50 and can earn upto $24.58 for an average of $18.07.  I mean, $8.50 is probably a lot less than the average grocery store shelf stocker.  No wonder the mines say they cannot find workers. 

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The most interesting question asked of me regarding global warming is:  As a consultant, how can I make money providing advice to the mining industry relevant to global warming?   Here is my simple mining answer.

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The troglobite will soon be a common mining word, or at least a swear word. Rio Tinto is seeking to expand iron ore mining near Pannawonica in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. They want to develop a new mine to replace the existing mine that will be worked out in the next decade or so. At the site of the new mine they have found troglobites. These are described as four millimeter subterranean creatures related to spiders.  Apparently if this new mine does not go ahead, they local town will have to be deserted. So here we have to decide between:

• Extinction of a species
• Extinction of a town (should I call it a community or culture?).

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