The United States' mining industry has a long history, and it continues to be an economically important industry. The most common commodities produced in the U.S. based on volume include sand and gravel, stone, and coal. Other mineral products, produced in smaller quantities, typically carry higher prices. Products produced through mining provide the foundation for all manufacturing, giving factories the raw materials needed to produce goods. Accordingly, the value added by the mining industry to the U.S. economy from the 12,563 active mines in the country as of 2022 amounted to over 78 billion U.S. dollars.
Mineral commodity production in the United States
Among those higher-priced commodities are precious metals. The United States mines hundreds of tons of gold and silver each year, as well as millions of tons of base metals such as iron ore and copper. This extraction came from the 280 active metal mines in the U.S. as of 2022. Over half of the active mines produced the tens of millions of tons of industrial sand and gravel that the U.S. produces each year, which is needed to support the massive volume of construction projects that the country undertakes.
United States mining companies
Revenues of the leading United States' mining companies are in the billions of U.S. dollars. The largest U.S.-based firm in terms of revenue in 2023 was copper and molybdenum miner Freeport-McMoRan, followed by the aluminum miner and steel producer Cleveland-Cliffs, and in third place, the gold miner Newmont Corporation. While contributing substantial economic activity to the U.S., these are hardly the largest mining companies globally. The leading mining companies worldwide are based primarily in the UK and China. However, despite the technological advances and automation of some of the more dangerous aspects of the work, U.S. mining firms continue to provide significant domestic employment, which amounted to roughly 556,000 jobs as of 2022.
Social and environmental footprint of the U.S. mining industry
The workplace hazards associated with mining have long been a point of controversy. While the industry has embraced safer practices, there are still a steady number of mining fatalities in the U.S. each year. Similarly, as environmental regulations have become more stringent, U.S. mining companies experienced more contact with the Department of Interior and other governmental agencies. Environmental activists have had some success, however, including millions of acres of U.S. land reclaimed from the mining industry, mainly from former coal mines. This highlights the potential for environmental issues to arise due to its impact on the environment. Looking ahead, nearshoring measures are gaining traction in the U.S. due to concerns over critical minerals supply. For instance, several new lithium projects are under exploration and developmental phases in the country.
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