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Mining Debate

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Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, lode, vein, (coal) seam
or reef, which forms the mineralized horizon and package of economic interest to the miner.

A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building

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materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated
with concrete and asphaltplants due to the requirement for large amounts of aggregate in those materials. The wordquarry can include
underground quarrying for stone, such as Bath stone.

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What is mining?

Mining is the extraction (removal) of minerals and metals from earth. Manganese, tantalum, cassiterite, copper, tin, nickel, bauxite (aluminum ore), iron
ore, gold, silver, and diamonds are just some examples of what is mined.

Why mine?
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Mining is a money making business. Not only do mining companies prosper, but governments also make money from revenues. Workers also receive
income and benefits.

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What are the minerals and metals used for?

Minerals and metals are very valuable commodities. For example, manganese is a key component of low-cost stainless steel. It is also used to de-color
glass (removing greenish hues), but in higher concentrations, it actually makes lavendar-colored glass. Tantalum is used in cell phones, pagers, and lap-
tops. Cooper and tin are used to make pipes, cookware, etc. And gold, silver, and diamonds are used to make jewelry.

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Large scale mining versus small scale mining:

 Large scale mining usually involves a company with many employees. The company mines at one or two large sites and usually stays until
the mineral or metal is completely excavated. An example of a large scale mine is the Serra Pelada mine in Brazil which yielded 29,000 tons
of gold from 1980 to 1986 and employed 50,000 workers (Kricher, 1997).

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 Small scale mining usually involves a small group of nomadic men. They travel together and look for sites which they think will yield gold or
another valuable metal or mineral. Small scale mining occurs in places such as Suriname, Guyana, Central Africa, and many other places
around the world. Some researchers believe that small scale mining is more harmful to the environment and causes more social problems than
large scale mining. This will become apparent later in the lesson.

How does mining affect the environment?

Mining is generally very destructive to the environment. It is one of the main causes of deforestation. In order to mine, trees and vegetation are cleared
and burned. With the ground completely bare, large scale mining operations use huge bulldozers and excavators to extract the metals and minerals from
the soil. In order to amalgamate (cluster) the extractions, they use chemicals such as cyanide, mercury, or methylmercury. These chemicals go through
tailings (pipes) and are often discharged into rivers, streams, bays, and oceans. This pollution contaminates all living organisms within the body of water
and ultimately the people who depend on the fish for their main source of protein and their economic livelihood.

Small scale mining is equally devastating to the environment, if not more. Groups of 5-6 men migrate from one mining site to another in search of

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precious metals, usually gold. There are two types of small scale mining: land dredging and ri ver dredging:

 Lan d dredging involves miners using a generator to dig a large hole in the ground. They use a high pressure hose to expose the gold-bearing
layer of sand and clay. The gold bearing slurry is pumped into a sluice box, which collects gold particles, while mine tailings flow into either
an abandoned mining pit or adjacent forest. When the mining pits fill with water from the tailings, they become stagnant water pools. These
pools create a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other water-born insects. Malaria and other water-born diseases increase significantly
whenever open pools of water are nearby.
 River dredging involves moving along a river on a platform or boat. The miners use a hydrolic suction hose and suction the gravel and mud as
they move along the river. The gravel, mud, and rocks go through the tailings (pipes) and any gold fragments are collected on felt mats. The
remaining gravel, mud, and rocks go back into the river, but in a different location than where it was originally suctioned. This creates
problems for the river. The displaced gravel and mud disrupt the natural flow of the river. Fish and other living organisms often die and
fishermen can no longer navigate in the obstructed rivers.

How does mining affect the people?

 The people who are exposed to the toxic waste from the tailings become sick. They develop skin rashes, headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. In
fact, the symptoms of mercury poisoning are very similar to the symptoms of malaria. Many people who can not afford to go to a doctor, or
who live in a village where a doctor is not accessible, are often not treated for their illnesses.
 If the water is contaminated, the people can not use it for bathing, cooking, or washing their clothes.

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 If the man of the household is a small scale miner, he often leaves his wife and children in search of work. This means that the wife and
children must work and provide for themselves. They must also protect themselves from thieves.
 Theft, drugs/alcohol, prostitution, rape, and sexual abuse are unfortunately some of the effects of mining.
 Cultural degradation also occurs in mining villages. For example, mining often destroys sacred sites and cemetaries. In Guyana, a special
fishing event called Haiari Fishing unfortunately can not take place if the river has been dredged for gold. Remember, the displacement of the
gravel and mud obstruct the natural flow of the river. As a result, fish and other organisms die.

Where does mining occur?

Mining occurs in many places around the world, including the U.S. In South America, mining is particularly active in the Amazonia region, Guyana,
Suriname, and other South American countries. In Central Africa, mining devastated a National Park called Kahuzi-Biega in the eastern Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC). South Africa is also very well known for mining diamonds. Mining also occurs in Indonesia and other S.E. Asian countries.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mining

The advantages and disadvantages of mining can be determined based on facts uncovered by scientists and by personal opinions.
One definite advantage is the fact that it brings in large amount of profits for the companies doing the mining. It also provides
employment for people who are unemployed in the mining regions. Mining for gold, coal and other ores are valuable because they
are useful in
manufacturing useful consumer products. The country will also benefit from the taxes being paid by the companies conducting the
mining excavations. On the other hand there is a downside to mining. One of the main disadvantage is deforestation. Many of the
forests and trees are being destroyed for the sole purpose of extracting valuable minerals. It has also caused pollution in the mining
areas. The rivers and lakes are being polluted. The pollution has caused danger to wildlife and human beings that inhabit the
mining regions. Mining is definitely a controversial issue and the advantages and disadvantages should always be weighed.

Advantages:

1) Mining of ores will enable people to get useful elements with significant profit.

2) Mining will give unemployed people to get at least the simplest job.

3) Mining of ores might result in finding something new and valuable (since we are digging)

Disadvantages:

1) Since mining sites are usually in the forest areas, trees will be cut while people are getting to these places.
2) Workers might die due to accidents.
3) Mining sites will be wastelands after the mining is over, leaving the farmers less land for agriculture.

 PHILIPPINES IS UNIQUE IN TERMS OF MINERAL DEPOSIT.

 MINERALS HAVE NO SIGNIFICANT VALUE IF LEFT UNDERGROUND.
 WE NEED TO CONVERT MINERAL DEPOSITS INTO COMMERCIAL FORM TO CREATE WEALTH, JOBS AND
INCOME FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE FOR FILIPINOS.

The advantage is that it supplies raw materials (metals, coal) that are needed to build and maintain modern industries and economies.

The disadvantages include:

 The depletion of resources rather than the reuse of existing materials, or use of materials readily available on the surface (e.g. hydropower, solar power
instead of coal and uranium)
 The damage to both underground and surface environments (e.g. produced water, coal slag, strip mining)
 The danger posed to men engaged in mining (cave-ins, explosionss, gas, black-lung disease, asbestosis, silicosis, and radiation sickness)

Reasons for Mining

Gold, diamonds and ores such as uranium supply national governments with trading goods, and provide jobs for millions of miners.
Mining is essential to modern society. The computer you are using to read this contains about 37 materials that came from mining. The
electricity to power it may come from coal, oil, or gas brought from underground.

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Pro-active intervention needed

Though at present the mining situation in the Philippines seems better compared to China or India, the threat to life and limb of present and
future miners are still worrisome. The need for a concerted effort among stakeholders is as urgent as ever to protect and promote the health and safety of
mineworkers.

We propose that the monitoring capacity for OHS and working conditions of mines and other enterprise in general should be increase and widened to
make timely and pro-active intervention.

Both government and non-government organizations, unions and other key groups should involve themselves in such an endeavor.

We propose that Health and Safety Education should be given primacy to create culture of safety among workers. More collaboration between union and
NGO’s should occur in furtherance of the said objective.

The building and strengthening of Health and Safety Committees should be pushed. We propose that in the case of mines wherein not only workers are
the stakeholder but the community as well.
Community based HSC should be established.

More research and related literature on OHS in Mines should be done and supported. Although there are existing studies, compared to papers and
materials focusing on the environmental effects of mines, informative and substantive studies on OHS in Mines is far behind.

The effects of mines are encompassing. There should be greater solidarity among mine workers around the world, especially in Asia. Solidarity and
networking should also be promoted and developed between environmental, community and labor groups to have a more well-rounded approach in
dealing with mine issues.

Positive effects

1) Provides employment, both directly in the Mining Industry & also elsewhere as the mine employees spent their income on other things.
2) Provides minerals / metals that can be either exported or, avoids the import of these minerals / metals from other countries. In either way, it
helps maintain good foreign currency reserves.
3) Provides infrastructure (roads, electricity, telephone etc) to remote areas of the country where mines are located which are needed by the
mines. But when the mines are exhausted, the infrastructure remains that can be used by others.

Negative effects

1) Fatalities & injuries to mine workers. (Whilst these unquestionably exist, they occur far less than many realise & death / bad injury occur in
other industries too. The Mining Industry is VERY safety conscious.)
2) Pollution from the chemical reagents which are used in the recovery of metals / minerals e.g. cyanide used in the recovery of gold on gold
mines. (What the Greens don't tell you is that even if the cyanide gets outside the area where it is meant to be used, it quickly breaks down to
harmless chemicals so that any environmental damage is minimal. The Mining Industry generally takes a very responsible attitude to the
environment.)
3) The destruction of indigenous flora. Within the area of the mine itself, trees & other plants will have to be ripped up in order to mine out the
mineral. If the mine is an open-pit operation, this may be substantial. (However, no mining company wants to destroy indigenous flora for the
sake of it, & they are generally involved with specific RE-INTRODUCTION of these same species as new plants once the mining has ceased.)
4) The emergence of rock dumps, tailings dams that some people consider unsightly. (When the mining has ceased, these artificial hills are
often seeded & landscaped. After a number of years, it wouldn't be known that the hills were artificial! In underground mining, some of the
rock dump material is reintroduced to the mine as backfill to allow mining to occur at elevations immediately above mined out ground.)

The World's Top 5 Mining Countries

South Africa takes the number one spot. According to The Telegraph, South Africa has more than $2.5 trillion in mineral reserves. The
country is the world’s biggest producer of platinum, and leading producer of gold, diamonds, base metals and coal. The Chamber of Mines of

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South Africa estimates that from July 2011 to September 2011 there was 1,188,269 ounces of gold and gold uranium produced. There has also
been a plentiful supply of coal in the country.

Russia also has a productive mining industry, its iron ore reserves are estimated to be worth $794 billion, according to The Telegraph. Russia
accounts for 20 percent of the world’s nickel and cobalt production and 5 to 7 percent of the world’s coal and iron ore production. Russia has
about 20,000 mineral deposits explored, to date. The mining industry in Russia is one of the most important industries to the country’s
economy. Leading mining companies in Russia include Norilsk Nickel Mining, Amur Minerals Corp. and Anglo American Platinum Ltd.
Although Russia does have a seemingly good mining industry, Behre Dolbear advises to avoid investment in this country because Russia is
notoriously known for corruption, and is considered a high-risk place to invest your money.

Australia is the world’s second leading supplier of seaborne ore, and this country has reserves valued at $737 billion, reports The Telegraph.
Australia also holds large reserves of other minerals including nickel and bauxite.

Ukraine is also rich in iron ore, the country has $510 billion worth of deposits, says TheTelegraph. Ukraine also has a productive mining
industry, more than 300 mines are in operation. The mining industry contributes a large amount to the country’s economy, accounting for 4.4
percent of the GDP. Leading mining companies with operations in Ukraine include Anika LLC and Black Iron Inc.

Guinea comes in at the number five spot. The country has $222 billion worth of bauxite reserves, reports The Telegraph. Guinea’s economy
relies largely on the mining industry, as it contributes 25 percent of the country’s income. The country is home to one of the world’s largest
bauxite reserves, and is estimated to contain 24 percent of the world’s bauxite reserves. Leading mining companies in Guineainclude
Newmont Mining Corp., Alcoa Inc. and Anglo Aluminum Corp. The future of Guinea’s mining industry is promising.

HOW MINING IS DONE?

Modern mining techniques are highly mechanized. Huge earthmoving equipment scoops up ore materials and places them in giant haulers to
be transported to mechanized processing facilities. Computers control much of the operation from start to finish. Explosives are used to break up rock in
manageable chunks for extraction. Underground mining is more labor intense due the close quarters environment, but can still be highly mechanized.

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CEC joins groups in probing possible effects of miningoperations in Lobo ,Batangas

Canadi an gold min er thr eatens food secur ity in Batangas town
CEC joins groups in probing possible effects of mining operations
Ryan Damaso
Lobo is a 4th class coastal municipality near the southern tip of the prodominantly agricultural of Batangas in the Southern Tagalog region. Home to over
37,000 people in 6,611 households, Lobo is filled with forests, straddled by mountains and surrounded by the rich waters of Batangas Bay and the Verde
Island passages, the latter declared by marine conservationists in 2006 as the “Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity.”

In terms of natural resources and wealth, Lobo has been known for its white sand beaches, flowing rivers, and fertile agricultural plains filled with rice
fields, coconuts, mangoes, bananas, atis, and tamarind trees. It also houses the Mount Banoi watershed, which is among the main sources of potable
water for the rest of Batangas province.

However, the ongoing exploration activities of a foreign mining firm threaten to degrade and destroy the vast ecological wealth found in Lobo. Since
2003, Mindoro Resources Limited Gold Philippines (MRL Gold), a 99 percent Canadian-owned and one percent Filipino-owned firm, has explored
around 29,000 hectares of mountainous land within Lobo, gathering rock and soil samples and drilling hundreds of holes approximately one kilometer
deep in four barangays (villages) to search for gold deposits.

Groups score Batangas governor for pro-mining stance

ACTORS-turned politicians Vilma Santos-Recto and Christopher de Leon, currently the Provincial Governor and Provincial Board Member respectively
of Batangas province, were criticized on Monday by anti-mining stakeholders for allegedly playing “true-to-life villains” for allowing large-scale miners
to operate in the province.

Various stakeholders belonging to the Bukluran Para sa Inang Kalikasan (Bukal) and the Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas
(Pamalakaya) urged Santos-Recto and De Leon to withdraw their support to large-scale mining.

The groups were referring to the approval in January 2012 Provincial Board Resolution No. 253 allowing the Canadian firm Asian Arc- Crazy Horse
mining company, along with its subsidiary Kumakata Mining Inc., to explore the town of Taysan for gold, copper, lead and zinc.

The mining exploration will cover 12,000 hectares. It is now on its second development stage.

Prior to the approval of the Crazy Horse permit, the provincial government has endorsed the mining exploration of Mindoro Resources Ltd. (MRL)
which acquired an exploration permit and a mineral production sharing agreement with the provincial government to tap 29,000 hectares of mining area
in the hinterlands of Batangas City, San Juan, Rosario, Taysan and Lobo, all farming and fishing communities in Batangas province.

Pamalakaya said these mining firms which were able to secure permit from the provincial government, the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR) and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) will engage in open pit mining in the towns of Lobo, Batangas City, Taysan, San
Juan and Rosario.

Large-scale mining groups are convincing Santos-Recto and the rest of the provincial board to allow open-pit mining and allow them to source different
minerals like copper, gold, lead, limestone and clay, Pamalakaya said.

The province has a 336-million metric ton (MMT) deposit of copper; 21.444 MMT deposit of gold; 100,000-metric ton (MT) deposit of lead; 4.168
MMT of limestone; and 1.9 MMT deposits of clay.

Meanwhile, Pamalakaya urged all district representatives of Batangas to investigate the impact of large-scale open pit mining in the province. The group
said representatives from the province could sponsor a major resolution calling for a ban if not an indefinite moratorium on all large-scale mining
explorations and operations in Batangas.

“Perhaps, the congressmen of Batangas don’t like another Sendong to happen in their province. Do they?” the group asked.

Alliance vs. Large-Scale Mining Formed in Batangas

LIPA, Batangas – Church people, professionals, environmental advocates, businessmen, women, youth and students, and local residents in here formed a

new alliance against large-scale mining.

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