National Mining Research Articles

(Un)cooperative Labor? Mining Cooperatives and the State in Bolivia

In 2019, Bolivian cooperative miners, once staunch allies of MAS and Evo Morales, helped inflame the crisis that toppled the Morales government. This paper explores the roots of the confounded, often explosive relationship between cooperative miners, nationalization, and MAS. Tracing the history of cooperative mining and its relationship to ore theft since the colonial period, this article shows how cooperative mining and salaried miners’ unions emerged as twin responses to the precarity of labor and production in the twentieth century. In the 1950s and 1960s, cooperative workers emerged as a shadow on the nationalized mining economy, competing for space and political influence with salaried workers. After the closure of COMIBOL in the late 1980s, cooperatives absorbed laid-off workers as well as migrants from the countryside and expanded into claims once belonging to state and union workers. When Morales reopened Bolivia’s national mining company in 2006 and sought to increase state participation in the mineral economy, he set the stage for a direct confrontation between the interests of cooperativistas, the vast majority of mineworkers at the time, and the state itself. This underacknowledged conflict of interests between different kinds of mineworkers has haunted MAS, culminating in the crisis of 2019 that drove Morales from power and from Bolivia.

Wildcat strikes, the Industrial Workers of the World, and dual unionism: labor insurgencies in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region, 1900–1939

ABSTRACT The anthracite mineworkers of Northeastern Pennsylvania fomented a series of insurgencies during the first three decades of the twentieth century. This study focuses on their activism in the northern-most of three ‘hard coal’ fields, located around the cities of Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. Following several failed unionization attempts between 1848 and 1895, the United Mine Workers of America (UMAW) entered anthracite in the mid-1890s, organized the workforce, and called a successful strike in 1902. However, the discontent continued prompting the Industrial Workers of the World to enter the field in 1907. Drawing mainly on immigrant support, especially from the Italians, the ‘Wobblies’ suffered defeat in the Strikes of 1916 and left the area. The grassroots rebellions nevertheless persisted undere the Cmmunist-inspired National Miners Union between 1928 and 1931, the United Anthracite Miners of Pennsylvania between 1933 and 1934, and the Progressive Miners Association in 1939. The rear-guard actions ended during the post-World War II years and the decline of the industry. Through it all, the workers, who were originally British and German but by 1900 mainly Eastern and Southern Europeans, were motivated by grievances agaisnt the coal companies and the UMWA, and sustained by a deep well of family, community, and religous solidarity.

Identification, Definition and Propagation of Systemic Elements of Instability and Insecurity Within the National Mining System

Identification, Definition and Propagation of Systemic Elements of Instability and Insecurity Within the National Mining System

Aspects of development: Voices from predisplacement site in Eastern India

The present research paper is an ethnographic account of the travails and resistance of an adivasi (native) community of India called Santhals. These adivasis are facing the threat of eviction due to a planned coal mining in the area, located in West Bengal, a state in the eastern part of India. Amid the ongoing protest against coal mines, many families are ready to give up their land for the project. Even differences in opinion are common among the leaders of those protest groups. These differences in perception about a coal mine project are the central theme of this paper. Drawing from it the paper is going to scrutinize the grand terms like ‘Affected Persons’, used in ‘National Mineral Policy 2019’ and ‘Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (2013)’, and ‘Local Community’ to show that any generalization or universalization of those various perceptions suppress the real needs of the people since they get affected in multiple ways. Further, this paper regards ‘development’ as ‘pharmakon’ for its dual nature, since people in the same community perceive it as poison; in contrast, for others, it is the remedy for their poverty. Tracing from all the varying voices, the paper finally argues for finding ‘significant others’, who are significantly excluded from decision-making.

Mining heritage gone wrong: A study of disappointed tourists at China’s national mine parks

ABSTRACT Mine parks are a late twentieth-century addition to the global heritage repertoire. To date, most studies of visitor experiences at mining heritage sites focus on tourists who appreciate their outings. Yet mine parks do not satisfy all those who visit. What goes wrong for those who visit these destinations and feel disappointed, and how do they express their displeasure? We answer this question by scrutinising the online negative reviews of tourists from seven Chinese national mine parks. Our analysis indicates ‘disgruntled tourists’ want the sites of former resource extraction to include a sight and meet their expectations for hospitable, accessible, and knowledgeable service. When mine parks fail to deliver, they become disappointed, dissatisfied, and angry. They overwhelmingly articulate their unhappiness using a language of ‘lack’ or deficiency and talking about ‘value for money’. The reviews further suggest that disappointed visitors write online reviews to vent negative emotions, warn other tourists, and punish site staff. Drawing on the broader literature on mining tourism, heritage tourism, and visitor experiences, we indicate strategies that mining heritage professionals could use to remedy disgruntled tourists’ sense of deficiency, while also contributing to scholarly discussions about what makes tourism meaningful.

Fighting for the soul of coal: Colliery closures and the moral economy of nationalization in Britain, 1947–1994

In this article, we explore the impact of colliery closure programs across the nationalized British coal industry. We chart the regional disparities in these and the mobilization of community opposition to national protests, leading to the national miners’ strikes of 1972, 1974, and 1984–5. This article demonstrates how closures have changed the industrial politics of mining unions for miners, junior officials, and managers and have increasingly alienated NCB officials and mining communities. We demonstrate how this undermined the ideals of nationalization. This is examined through moral economic frameworks and within the context of changes to the UK’s energy mix, with implications for contemporary deliberations on public ownership, energy transitions, and regional development.

National Mineral Policy and Its Impact on Mining Sector in Odisha

National Mineral Policy and Its Impact on Mining Sector in Odisha

Tailings dams’ classification based on risk using data from SIGBM

The Brumadinho and Mariana tailings dam failures in Brazil tragically highlighted the critical need for robust risk management in the mining sector. Tailings dams, by their very nature, pose significant risks to downstream communities and the environment in the event of failure. To mitigate these risks, a comprehensive risk classification system is essential. This abstract emphasizes the real-world impact of dam failures and strengthens the importance of risk classification. Risk analysis plays a central role in identifying, quantifying, and ultimately mitigating the potential consequences of tailings dam failure. The classification process considers various factors that influence dam stability and safety, including dam geometry and construction methods — the design and construction techniques employed significantly impact a dam's stability; tailings characteristics — the physical and chemical properties of the stored tailings can influence factors like liquefaction potential; operating conditions — factors like the rate of tailings deposition and the presence of seismic activity need evaluation; drainage system effectiveness — a well-functioning drainage system is crucial for managing pore pressures within the dam. By analyzing these elements, risk classification aims to categorize tailings dams into distinct risk levels, typically ranging from low to very high. This categorization allows for targeted risk mitigation strategies to be implemented based on the specific vulnerabilities of each dam. This paper proposes a methodology for risk classification of tailings dams utilizing data from the Brazilian National Mining Agency's (ANM) Integrated Mining Dam Management System (SIGBM). The study focuses on 203 dams situated in Minas Gerais, a Brazilian state with a history of dam failures. Data was extracted from SIGBM in February 2023. This research not only presents a general risk classification for the assessed dams but also delves deeper, offering a quantitative measure of vulnerability, risk potential, and potential consequences of a failure event for each individual dam.

More than an inter-scalar mediator: global production networks, the state and Chile’s National Mining Company (ENAMI)

ABSTRACT Recent contributions to the global production networks (GPN) literature delve into public governance as mediation between global networks and regional assets. They deal with the state as a buyer, producer and regulator. Further developing this line of research, the present article goes beyond inter-scalar mediation, explaining how Chile’s National Mining Company (ENAMI, by its Spanish acronym) directly ties domestic production to international markets. The authors argue that in such cases, global-to-local connections are beyond what the GPN literature explains through corporate strategies to reduce costs, become more flexible and increase the speed of operation. A corresponding adjustment of the GPN approach helps to better understand the impact of public governance. In light of severe financial constraints faced by ENAMI, the article also discusses two distinct visions for the organisation. This discussion has general implications regarding state interference with the economy and production networks.

Study on Landscape Remodeling In Negative Space of Mine Park in China

Through the three cases of Tangshan Nanhu Park, Liaoning Fuxin Haizhou Open Pit Mine and Hubei Huangshi National Mining Geopark, the success of mine development experience is analyzed from the aspects of mine landscape reconstruction and artistic development of mineral resources, starting from the method and concept that mine development must pay attention to history, adapt to local conditions and combine their own regional environment characteristics. To have a deep understanding of the urban ecological environment and ecological landscape, it is clear that multiple factors should be considered to solve the problems caused by a series of mining activities, such as the surrounding environment and residents' living conditions, so that social development can move forward in a coordinated manner.

Review Paper: Use of Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides L.) and Rice Husk Biochar in Remediation of Mercury (Hg) Polluted Soil

Indonesia has abundant natural resources. One of the great natural resources is mineral resources in the form of gold. With this potential, the number of national mining locations continues to increase, both large, medium, small and unlicensed gold mining (PETI) carried out directly by the community, either in groups or individually, which can have a negative impact on the environment. pollution such as land and water. , because the results of gold processing which contain heavy metals (Hg) are immediately thrown away without any further processing. This can harm the surrounding environment and even enter the food chain. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to study and find out related information regarding the effectiveness of phytoremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals such as mercury (Hg) using vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides L.) and soil ameliorant materials in the form of rice husks. biochar to reduce the concentration of these heavy metals, as well as the mechanisms involved in phytoremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals. The vetiver root plant (Vetiveria zizanoides L) is very effective for use in remediating soil contaminated with mercury (Hg) or other heavy metals. The use of biochar can influence the growth and absorption of heavy metals by vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides L). Biochar is also able to improve the physical and chemical properties of soil and stabilize heavy metals in the soil.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE IN TESTING DEMINING MACHINES. THE POSSIBILITY OF INTRODUCING THEM INTO THE NATIONAL SYSTEM OF MINE ACTION

To ensure an independent assessment of the applicability, safety and effectiveness of mechanical equipment used during the survey and demining of a contaminated area, it is necessary to test and evaluate its conformity. This makes it possible to assess the capabilities and potential of new technologies and confirm the performance and operational characteristics of the equipment used. To implement the above, it is necessary to clearly define the requirements that mechanical equipment in the field of humanitarian demining must meet; regulatory documents for which testing and conformity assessment must be carried out, i.e., a methodological apparatus for testing and assessing mechanical equipment and tools for it must be developed.
 The results of the analysis of scientific publications indicate that the issue of determining the requirements for mechanical equipment for humanitarian demining has not been studied, and there is no methodological apparatus for assessing the conformity of equipment and conducting tests.
 The purpose of the article is to investigate the international and regional experience of humanitarian demining in the context of regulatory and methodological support for determining the requirements for mechanical equipment and methods for their confirmation, as well as the possibility of their adaptation to the national mine action system.
 It has been established that the following factors should be taken into consideration when developing and using mechanical demining equipment: the specific hazard of ERW, the minimum distance from the explosion site; simplicity of design and operation; maintainability and stability of equipment in the area of operations; ability to transport to the demining site independently; adaptability of mechanical means to different terrain conditions; ability to achieve the required demining depth (15 cm) for Ukraine.
 It is recommended to take into account the practical experience and regulatory framework of competent international organizations for humanitarian demining to develop a regulatory and methodological apparatus for testing and assessing the conformity of mechanical demining equipment.

Mining requests in Brazil’s indigenous lands finally removed, but the battle continues

Mining causes intense socio-environmental impacts and threatens Indigenous peoples in Brazil, exposing them to violence, contagious diseases, mercury contamination, and loss of livelihoods. Recent collaborative efforts by society achieved positive advances against mining in Indigenous Lands (ILs). Notably, the National Mining Agency (ANM) has revoked thousands of mining requests that encroached upon ILs for decades, marking a historic but underpublicized milestone. However, in recent months, the National Congress has approved a series of counter-attacks against Indigenous rights. Despite these advancements, it is imperative for society to sustain pressure in combating illegal mining in ILs and the ongoing attacks by ruralist and mining groups, who have a long history of undermining Indigenous rights.

The Development of Artisanal Gold Mining in the African Region: A Historical Overview

Te purpose of the paper is to provide a comprehensive historical overview of the development of artisanal gold mining in the African region, including the economic, political, social and environmental factors that have infuenced its growth, as well as the challenges and opportunities facing the sector today. Methods. Te study was conducted through a comprehensive review of available literature, including academic articles, books, reports and online resources. Relevant information was gathered and analyzed to identify the key economic, political, technological, environmental and social factors that have infuenced the growth and impact of artisanal gold mining in Africa over time. An exploratory approach was used, using a thematic analysis method to identify and categorize the various themes. Results. A historical review of artisanal gold mining in Africa leads to a number of important conclusions. First, the sector has grown signifcantly over time, with production increasing from a few kilograms per year in the early 20th century to millions of ounces per year in the 21st century. Second, a number of economic, political, social, and environmental factors have infuenced the growth of the sector, including changes in global gold prices, national mining policies, technological innovation, migration processes, and land use practices. Tird, the sector has had both positive and negative impacts on local communities and the environment, with positive aspects including employment, income generation, and improved access to basic services, and negative aspects including land degradation, deforestation, water pollution, and health hazards. Conclusions. Te work presented underscores the need for a multidisciplinary approach to understanding artisanal gold mining. While the sector has contributed to economic development and poverty reduction in some areas, it has also created signifcant social and environmental costs that need to be addressed through efective policies and interventions. Key challenges facing the sector include the informal and unregulated nature of operations, lack of access to fnance and technology, and the need to balance the interests of various stakeholders, including mining communities, governments, and environmental groups. Overall, the historical review underscores the importance of a sustainable and inclusive approach to artisanal gold mining that addresses the needs and aspirations of all stakeholders and contributes to the long-term well-being of both people and the planet.

Mining for tourists in China: a digital ethnography of user-generated content from coal mining heritage parks

ABSTRACT Mine parks and industrial heritage are relatively recent tourism phenomena, emerging in Europe and North America during the mid-twentieth century. In the People’s Republic of China, government officials undertook large-scale promotion of mining heritage between 2005 and 2021, when 88 former state-sector mines were designated national parks. From an official vantage point, transforming former extractive industries into heritage sites helped communities negatively affected by the social and environmental legacies of mining and mine closure to pursue a future in China’s lucrative tourism sector. To date, this endeavour has been little studied, with research on visitors’ experiences particularly limited. In this article, we interrogate Chinese tourists’ responses to national mining heritage by analysing online user-generated content (tourist reviews) from three coal-mines-turned-heritage parks. We ask how visitors made meaning at these sites, and whether and how the mining tourism imaginaries they co-constructed in online reviews resembled visitor experiences of mining heritage elsewhere. How Chinese tourists respond to the parks not only affects the state’s ability to achieve its development goals, but also informs perceptions of mining, energy production, and tourism more broadly. Such perceptions have implications for sustainable resource and energy use.

Złoża Kopalin o Znaczeniu Publicznym (ZKoZP) w relacji do Projektu Polskiej Polityki Surowcowej Państwa

Złoża Kopalin o Znaczeniu Publicznym (ZKoZP) w relacji do Projektu Polskiej Polityki Surowcowej Państwa

Russian zirconium industry: current issues in raw material supply

The relevance of the research is connected with Russia’s long-term import dependence on zirconium raw materials.Goal of this research: to study the dynamics of commodity flows (production, import, export, consumption) of Russian zirconium raw materials; its prices (world and Russian); the raw material base of zirconium in Russia and the prospects for national production of its extraction and processing.Methods: statistical, graphic, logical.Results: Russia imports the vast majority (3.5–14.9 kt/year or 98–100 % of consumption) of consumed zircon concentrate. At the same time, almost all of the baddeleyite mined in Russia (4.0–9.3 kt/year or (96–100 % of production) is exported. Since 2018 has there been a decrease in its export supplies and an increase in the national consumption (up to 60 % of production).Russia has existing deposits, including a useful zirconium component, but all are connected with a certain economic and technological complexity in their development.In 2022, the national production of selective zircon concentrate began during the development of the Tugan titanium-zirconium deposit. This deposit covers up to 30 % of Russia’s demand for zirconium raw materials up to 2023. Furthermore, the construction of the 2-nd stage of the Tugan mining and processing plant will increase its supply to 15 kt/year. This will completely cover Russian demand for zirconium raw materials. Work is in progress on Zashikhinsky field preparation, where, in the course of enrichment of tantalum-rare-earth ores, up to 8 kt/year of zircon concentrate will be additionally extracted. The emerging trend of reducing Russia’s import dependence on zirconium raw materials, and in the future its complete elimination will allow consumption of zircon and zirconium oxides to be increased in the most demanding area of their use – for dampening the glaze of ceramic tiles. The presence of an independent and sufficient national mining base of zirconium raw materials will allow Russian production of metal zirconium, zirconium refractory and abrasive products, solid fuel energy cells and other zirconiumcontaining applications to be developed.

Museums in Motu in the Anthropocene: From Active Space to Spatial Actions

Abstract In this article I offer an in motu rhetorical analysis of museums in the Anthropocene. Instead of discussing curations inside museums in detail, I examine spatial and rhetorical dialogues between the Jinhuagong National Mine Park, a fifty-year-old coal mine, and the Yungang Grottoes, a Unesco cultural heritage site. Pulling together threads from Heidegger and Chinese environmental philosophies, I redefine museum as spatial action with three entangled lines of action: building, dwelling, and saying. Unlike in previous studies of museum as active space, museum in motu turns museum into museuming—a gerund indicating ongoing actions adapting to contingencies. Through museuming, human beings keep exploring the meaning of building in diverse practices of dwelling and adapting to relational existence with the more-than-human world.

A Comprehensive dataset for Australian mine production 1799 to 2021

Given that metals, minerals and energy resources extracted through mining are fundamental to human society, it follows that accurate data describing mine production are equally important. Although there are often national statistical sources, this typically includes data for metals (e.g., gold), minerals (e.g., iron ore) or energy resources (e.g., coal). No such study has ever compiled a national mine production data set which includes basic mining data such as ore processed, grades, extracted products (e.g., metals, concentrates, saleable ore) and waste rock. These data are crucial for geological assessments of mineable resources, environmental impacts, material flows (including losses during mining, smelting-refining, use and disposal or recycling) as well as facilitating more quantitative assessments of critical mineral potential (including possible extraction from tailings and/or waste rock left by mining). This data set achieves these needs for Australia, providing a world-first and comprehensive review of a national mining industry and an exemplar of what can be achieved for other countries with mining industry sectors.

NIOSH Hearing Loss Prevention Program for Mining.

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) continues to be a pervasive problem for the nation's workforce, particularly the nation's mining personnel. As one of the leading health and safety organizations in the world, the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) in Pittsburgh maintains a Hearing Loss Prevention Program (HLPP) to conduct research to reduce NIHL loss among the nation's miners. This document provides a brief overview of this HLPP, describing some of the research techniques involved in the development of engineering noise controls, methods for the development of administrative noise controls, and some of the products available to the public to protect the nation's workers hearing.