Mining


The process or industry of obtaining minerals or aggregate from a mine or other extractive process.

Related resource topics for county planning include the following:

 

 


Map of Data


Download mxd

The ESRI mxd file of the services used to create the above map.


Resource Information

The State of Utah has primacy on regulation and reclamation of mining activities on all lands within the state, and the Utah Legislature assigned responsibility for administration of mining to the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining (DOGM).

  • For regulation of mineral ore mining, the DOGM administers permitting,  inspection, and enforcement procedures under the Utah Mined Land Reclamation Act. All large mining operations within the state are required to have an approved notice of intention with the Minerals Program prior to beginning operations. Mining operations are broken up into the three categories: (1) large mine, (2) small mine, and (3) exploration under the Minerals Rules. The DOGM maintains a permit database of active and reclaimed mine sites. The DOGM Minerals Program regulates all mining operations as defined in the Utah Mined Land Reclamation Act.
  • For coal mining, the State of Utah obtained primacy for regulation and reclamation under the federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA).
  • For oil and gas, DOGM obtained primacy in 1982 from the Environmental Protection Agency for regulation of Class II Water Injection Wells; this program regulates disposal of produced water from oil and gas wells, and reinjection of fluids for pressure maintenance and secondary recovery operations in oil and gas fields [1].

The data layers show the locations of several different mining operations, use to identify the areas of the county where mining occurs and to understand the types of mining products that come from the county.


Best Management Practices

In developing county resource management planning goals related to mining, counties may want to consider the economic significance of mining, the importance of mining heritage, and potential resource conflicts to be resolved such as recreation uses, water quality, and sensitive species concerns.

County-wide planning goals related to mining might include:

  • Categorize lands as: open to mining, mineral, and energy development, open with special stipulations, allowing no surface occupancy, or closed.
  • Identify land withdrawals (lands not available for mining) to protect rare and unique resources and public interests.
  • Use public finance tools to appropriately incentivize mining operations in areas conducive to the impact of mining.

Where mining activity is located near populated areas, planning goals might include:

  • Provide interpretative information to the public and visitors about the mining heritage of the area and importance to the local economy.
  • Work with regional economic development entities such as the Southeastern Utah Economic Development District to encourage satellite businesses that dovetail with mining and serve the mining community’s needs.
  • Minimize the adverse impacts of mines on adjacent land uses by maintaining and utilizing adequate landscape buffer areas, screening, and maintaining the visual appearance of buildings.
  • Ensure that high-impact areas provide sufficient noise buffers to reduce impacts on residential areas.
Economic Considerations
  • Annual mineral activity and extractive industry reports from the Utah Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources webpage provide information about statewide mining development, trends, and economic factors.
  • Information on market trends for specific minerals can be found at the USGS National Minerals Information Center.
  • Mining made up 4.2% of Utah’s GDP in 2012 [2].
  • In 2013, Utah produced 1.7% of the coal in the United States, 27% of that production was shipped out of the state [3].
  • As of March 2016, 9,500 miners are employed in Utah. This is down 12.8% from March 2015 [4].


Impact Considerations
  • The Utah Geological Survey’s Mineral Resources webpage provides information regarding energy and mineral research, statistics, extraction activity reports, resource maps, and other current information.
  • Mining permits and records from the DOGM Minerals Program address environmental effects and reclamation efforts for specific mining operations.
  • Decisions to permit mining operations on federal lands must be consistent with applicable resource management plans and likely require environmental impact evaluation under the National Environmental Policy Act (also known as NEPA).


Data Download
  GIS Data Map Service Web Map Document  Tabular Data  Website
Data NameData ExplanationPublication DateSpatial AccuracyContact
State Lands Mineral Map
Interactive SITLA plat and contract data; oil & gas, coal, tar sands, oil shale, and other mineralsLive Data1:24,000State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA).
GIS Group
Utah coal mines and deposits

Coal-related information06/08/2015unknownUS Bureau of Mines
Mineral Mine Locations
Active and retired mineral mines that have state permit record filesMarch 2015UnknownDivision Oil, Gas, and Minerals (DOGM)
Utah Oil Gas Tabular Data
Statistical data on drilling, production, and other contentVariousVariousUtah Division Oil, Gas, and Minerals (DOGM)

References

  1. Utah Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining. 2014. About Us: Mission Statement and History.
  2. National Mining Association. 2014. The Economic Contributions of US Mining (2012), September.
  3. EIA, US Energy Information Administration. 2016. Utah State Energy Profile. Accessed April 26, 2016.
  4. Utah Department of Workforce Services. 2016. Utah’s Employment Summary: March 2016.