Pub. 8 2018 Issue 3

7 MINING FOCUS Mark Compton, President PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE continued on page 8 T his is my final message for the Mining Focus magazine as the Utah Mining Association’s president. I have had the honor and privilege of serving as the association’s president since 2012, and it is with mixed emotions that I move on to the next phase of my career. I’m excited to continue my service to the mining industry as the next executive director of the American Exploration & Mining Association, I’ll miss the many wonderful friends and colleagues in Utah with whom I have had the pleasure of working. One of the most important aspects of any mining association is to educate the public about the importance of the industry. With thousands of high-paying jobs and as Utah’s largest exporter, most are quick to acknowledge the mining industry’s importance to our economy. It’s also important to remember that mining is more than just the foundation of our economy. The mining industry is integral to every Utahn’s lifestyle and standard of living. As the beginning of the supply chain for everything we use and everything we do (think, “If it can’t be grown, it must be mined!”), the mining industry has a great story to tell. It has been a great privilege for me to help tell that story for the past several years. Mining is a unique industry in that it is the basis for our entire way of life, yet few people ever give it a second thought, much less consider its significance. Through our public education efforts, including this magazine, we are making progress in that area but far too many still don’t make the connection of mining to their lifestyle. 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; electric cars even more. 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. We have heard a lot over the years about the importance of energy independence, but it is equally as important (if not more so) that we are minerals independent. Unfor tunately, a lack of access to economically viable mineral deposits and a lengthy, inefficient federal permitting system has resulted in the U.S. being increasingly dependent on foreign sources of strategic and critical minerals. This vulnerability has serious national defense and economic consequences. According to the U.S Geological Survey, the U.S. is greater than 50% reliant upon foreign countries for 50 different metals and minerals and 100% import reliant for 21 of those, despite having the third It’s also important to remember that mining is more than just the foundation of our economy. The mining industry is integral to every Utahn’s lifestyle and standard of living.