Pub. 3 2013 Issue 1

5 Mining Focus & T here is an old saying, “If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined.” It is true, and it is a statement people understand if they think about it. The thing is, most people don’t think about it. We don’t usually consider from where the items come that make our lifestyle possible. We take for granted that the things we need and want will always be there. But the bottom line is, without mining to provide the foundational minerals and metals for the things we use every day, our society would be much different. Every year, the average American uses hundreds of newly mined minerals. It is relatively easy to visualize that we need mining for items such as cars, televisions, computers, cell phones, and even our national security. New hybrid cars use twice as much copper as cars powered by gasoline alone. Computer chips are made from as many as 60 different minerals or their constituent elements. And the U.S. Department of Defense uses more than 750 thousand tons of minerals annually. But, did you know mining helps feed the world? Today’s farmers are working on a shrinking agricultural land base to grow the food needed to feed an ever-growing world population. From the farm machinery they use to the fertilizers that improve food production, mining makes modern agriculture work. We all know that average life expectancy is rising, made possible by tremendous advances in medical science. But did you stop to think that mining makes those advances in modern medicine possible? Lifesaving medical devices require minerals and metals, and lots of them. As just one example, CAT scans contain a variety of minerals, including tungsten, copper, lead, silver, chlorine, aluminum and gold. Mining truly is the beginning of the supply chain for the healthcare industry. Demand for minerals in our advanced society is increasing ever y day. Mi ne r a l s a r e critical to developing t h e i n n o v a t i v e technologies that will propel our economy, enable Amer ica to compete globally and improve our quality of life. They are the building blocks for the manufacturing, construction and automotive industries, and are essential to growth in fields such as advanced energy and healthcare. Life is good. And mining helps us live longer, happier and healthier lives. Think about that. X Mining helps us live Mark Compton, President Longer Healthier The bottom line is, without mining to provide the foundational minerals and metals for the things we use every day, our society would be much different .