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Minerals Program Map

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Minerals Program staff and Division GIS coordinator created an interactive GIS-based map featuring all active and retired hard rock mine permits throughout the state. The map is located on the Minerals homepage https://minerals.ogm.utah.gov/default.html

Visitors to the site can use tools to determine mine location, land owner, operator, mine type, township, section, range, geology, and wildlife habitat. Another feature allows users to calculate the mine acreage and verify operation is within permit limits. 

Tutorials on how to use the mapping features are available on the website. These tools are intended to provide users more in-depth information on Utah’s mineral operations and education them on mines near them. 

The minerals program regulates all non-coal mining operations in the state with a few exceptions. From Kennecott Copper, the largest open-mined pit in the state to small operations, staff works to ensure mining operation procedures are followed. This includes verifying operators work within permit boundaries, mining operations pose no threat to public safety or the environment and assuring appropriate fees/bonds are collected for reclamation.

Utah contains over 500 different minerals and ore deposits that hold close to 30 different metals including copper, gold, and silver. Currently there are 600 permitted mineral operations statewide. In 2015 data from the U.S. Geological Survey ranked Utah 8th in the value of non-fuel mineral production, accounting for approximately 3.7 percent of the United States total.

Employee Highlight – Winter 2018

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Priscilla Burton is an environmental scientist in the Coal Program and has worked for the Division for 21 years. She is based out of the Price Field Office.

Priscilla is a soil scientist working with an interdisciplinary team of environmental scientists. Her main responsibility is to ensure that there is suitable quality and quantity of topsoil salvaged, stockpiled, and protected for use in final reclamation of coal operations.

She inspects sites under construction to confirm salvage and replacement plans are followed and also completes routine mine inspections to ensure compliance with all Utah coal mining rules. 

Priscilla was the project manager for the successful White Oak mine reclamation project where she was able to leverage the available bond forfeiture funds with contributions from Carbon County and Canyon Fuel. She applied for and received grants from the Division of Water Quality for the transport and application of biosolids to reclaimed slopes; the Utah Watershed Initiative for reconstruction of Eccles Creek and erosion control; and Department of Agriculture for two Invasive Species Mitigation grants for the control of weeds from Whiskey to Clear Creek. 

She helps ensure responsible resource development and preservation of the environment by making sure topsoil needed for final reclamation is protected. Topsoil contains the required organic matter, nutrients and microbes that vegetation needs for growth. Successful vegetation growth is one key measurement of effective reclamation.

Priscilla feels a sense of accomplishment knowing that when a Utah coal mining permit is issued, the mining operation has a plan for successful reclamation. She has been involved with many reclamation projects including Des Bee Dove, Starpoint, Willow Creek, and perhaps the most visible Castle Gate refuse pile on Highway 6 north of Helper.

In addition to her responsibilities with the coal program, Priscilla has represented the Division as a member of the Skyline Cooperative Weed Management Area (CWMA) since 2013. The Skyline CWMA is a collaborative effort of agencies and private landowners who determine the most effective ways to eliminate noxious and invading weeds. She produces the CWMA annual weed control calendar and has developed graphic design and desktop publishing skills.

Priscilla has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Soil Science from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science Degree in Plant Biology from Utah State University. She is a Certified Professional Soil Scientist (Soil Science Society of America) and has a long list of Office of Surface Mining technology development and transfer courses.

Message from Director John Baza – Fall 2017

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Many communities in Utah recently underwent municipal elections in which local citizens were engaged in choosing their local government representatives. As I considered who I would vote for, I felt that who I voted for was not as important as what I saw as significant issues in my community that needed to be addressed. Regardless of what the issues may have been, I wanted to know where individuals stood on those issues, and I wanted to vote for the person who could passionately represent my interests in those issues.

City government leadership should be focused on those things that matter most to their community’s citizens. Ordinances and policies will differ from community to community dependent on the opinions of a majority of the residents of any particular city. However, as the size of the community increases, more issues are in play, and the community’s majority opinion may differ substantially from certain individuals who have a minority viewpoint. As one philosopher once stated, “the good of the many outweigh the good of the few.”

It is the same in state government. The substantially large population base leads to diverse opinions and differing views on everything from medical care to land use to transportation. As citizens, we hope that our concerns are adequately reflected by the efforts of our elected officials and in turn by those appointed and employed by state leaders in their various functions. Occasionally, however, there are differences of opinion between majority and minority interests that are seemingly unfair to those individuals whose lives are affected by state policy and implementation of administrative rules.

In the development of the energy and mineral resources of Utah, this is an ongoing discussion with substantial differences of opinion. The charge of the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining is to foster and encourage responsible development of Utah’s underground energy and mineral resources. We must do so with adherence to the governing statutes established by the legislature, and to the administrative rules adopted by our governing Board of Oil, Gas and Mining. In some cases, the application of such laws and rules seems unfair to various parties such as the developers, adjacent landowners, community activists, or members of the unconnected but observing public. Some may never fully agree with the decisions made by DOGM, but they should know that we will always abide by the statutes and rules established for petroleum and mining operations.

Ultimately, each citizen has the right to petition for a change in law or administrative rule to either the legislature or an administrative board such as ours. This is the process by which state policy is changed and interested parties have the ability to achieve correction in policy that affects them. But it must be remembered in the policy changing process that both elected and appointed officials will generally need to seek the good of the many that may contradict the good of the few.

Minerals Program: Uniquely Utah

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Utah is home to an interesting mix of minerals used for a wide variety of products. Some of these minerals are found only in Utah, making them unique and valuable to the rest of the world. The Utah Division of Oil, Gas and Mining Minerals Program oversees and regulates all non-coal mining operations in the state. From large to small operators, staff works to ensure mining operation procedures are followed. This includes verifying operators work within permit boundaries, mining operations pose no threat to public safety or the environment, and making sure the Division has adequate bonds to ensure reclamation.

There are over 500 different minerals found in Utah with over 20 different metals including copper, gold and silver. Currently there are nearly 600 permitted mineral operations statewide with a total of approximately 66,600 acres of disturbance. The Minerals program with a staff of six inspectors statewide is tasked with reviewing mine permit applications (21 new permits in 2016) and amendments, inspecting mines (over 470 inspections in 2016), ensuring compliance with the law, and responding to public comments.

Red Beryl- rarer than diamond and more valuable than gold
Privately-held mining claim
Millard County, Utah

The gemstone has several different names: red beryl, red emerald, or bixbite. Originally, the mineral was named bixbite, but now red beryl is the most accepted designation. Red beryl is estimated to be worth 1,000 times more than gold and is so rare that one red beryl crystal is found for every 150,000 diamonds.

Red beryl is presently found at only three locations in the world: the Thomas Range and the Wah Wah Mountains in west-central Utah, and the Black Range in New Mexico. The only known deposit of large, gem-quality red beryl in the world is from the Ruby-Violet claims in the Wah Wah Mountains of Beaver County, Utah. These are private claims and no collecting is allowed without permission from the present claim owners.

Beryllium
Materion Corporation
Millard County, Utah

Beryllium is a light metal, but strong, melts at a high temperature and is corrosion-resistant. It is expensive and is used in missile and rocket parts due to its strength without weight. It is used in x-ray tubes because it is transparent to x-rays. When combined with copper it forms a high-strength, non-sparking alloy used for tools handled around oil wells and flammable gases, where a spark from an iron tool could be disastrous. It’s also used in beryllium copper golf clubs. Certain forms of Beryllium are toxic, so it must be handled with caution. Utah is home to the only active beryllium mine in the world.

Gilsonite
American Gilsonite
Uintah County, Utah

Gilsonite is a shiny, black, solid hydrocarbon that has been mined in Utah since 1888. It is a trademarked brand name for uintaite, a naturally occurring hydrocarbon resin found in products including oil and gas, ink, paint, construction, asphalt and explosives. It is an important industrial mineral that is shipped worldwide. All Utah’s gilsonite mines are located in southeastern Uintah County.

Potash
Intrepid Potash
Grand County, Utah

Potash is potassium-containing salts used widely by farmers in fertilizer.
Most potash forms in arid regions when inland seas or lakes evaporate leaving behind potassium salt deposits. Over time, sediment buried these deposits creating potash ore.

In Utah, miners pump water into deep underground caverns. Potash is soluble, so water dissolves it into brine that is pumped back to the surface and into one of the evaporation ponds.  As the water evaporates, potash and other salts crystallize out. This evaporation process typically takes about 300 days. The water is dyed bright blue to reduce the amount of time it takes for the potash to crystallize; darker water absorbs more sunlight and heat. The crystals of potash and salt are then sent to a facility to be separated through a flotation process.

In 2013, the United States produced over one million tons of potash, about two percent of global production. The fertilizer industry consumed about 85 percent of the potash produced by the United States; the chemical industry used the rest.

Intrepid Potash near Moab is the largest producer of potassium chloride, one of many potash salts used in fertilizer and used to farm a variety of foods, particularly chloride-loving vegetables like sugar beets, celery, Swiss chard and other plants that are resilient to chloride. Its chloride can be beneficial for soils that are low in chloride, making plants more disease resistant; however, if the soil or irrigation water has high levels of chloride, the added content can create toxicity. This means that the levels have to be carefully managed, and MOP must only be used for select crops.

Magnesium
U.S. Magnesium
Tooele County, Utah

Magnesium is moderately priced, strong, light and easy to machine. Its downside is that it’s highly flammable. Magnesium was used for early photographic flashes; many modern pyrotechnics use magnesium powder, especially incendiary bombs, signals and flares. Magnesium is used in jet-engine parts, rockets and missiles, bicycles, and portable power tools. Much more common is aluminum mixed with magnesium.

Although there are other magnesium mines in the world. US Magnesium is the sole provider in the United States.

Halloysite
Dragon Mine
Juab County, Utah

The Dragon Mine is the only known measured resource of Halloysite Clay in the Western Hemisphere significant enough for large scale production. It is also one of only a few underground mineral mines in the state and one of the only halloysite mines in the world.

Halloysite has historically been used in the manufacture of porcelain, bone china, and fine china. In these applications the combination of the tubular shape in clay with low iron and titanium content produces ceramic ware with exceptional whiteness and translucency. The tubular shape, also known as a nanotube, may be large enough to serve as a pipe through which other nanoparticles can be channeled, or, depending on the material, may be used as an electrical conductor or an electrical insulator.

Halloysite nanotubes can be coated with metallic and other substances to achieve a wide variety of electrical, chemical, and physical properties. The hollow tubes can be filled with a variety of active ingredients including those used for cosmetics, household and personal care products, pesticides, pest repellents, pharmaceuticals and other agents that could benefit from extended release.

The State of Utah recently awarded a grant to a team from the University of Utah to further development of soild polymer electrolytes using halloysite for use in solid-state lithium batteries.

Annual Employee Achievement Award – 2017

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Coal Program Hydrologist Keenan Storrar received the 2017 Oil, Gas and Mining Achievement Award. In his two years plus with the Division, Keenan has developed into an exemplary employee. He has steadily expanded his knowledge and expertise in not only the Surface Mining Control Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and its application to the Division, but also the processes and rules of other state and federal regulatory agencies with whom he interacts.

Keenan routinely initiates projects on his own with minimal oversight. For example, Keenan has initiated a joint project with OSM and PacifiCorp to utilize LIDAR technology in evaluating the effectiveness of reclamation technique called ‘pocking’ or sometimes referred to as ‘deep gouging.’ It is a reclamation technique that is primarily utilized in the arid southwest and has been successfully implemented at several coal mine reclamation sites.

However, little to any scientific work has been done nationwide to quantify and examine the effectiveness of this technique. Keenan is working towards obtaining precise sedimentation data by utilizing LIDAR technology in concert with OSM and PacifiCorp at the Cottonwood/Wilberg Mine in Emery County. The reclamation of the mine began this month. In obtaining this data, Keenan is at the forefront of advancing the understanding and application of pocking as a reclamation technique and its effectiveness to control erosion on steep, reclaimed slopes in arid, semi-arid environments. Its work that the Division will take immense pride in in the years to come as this reclamation technique can be utilized in all manner of slope stabilization applications from hard rock mining, to highway projects to general construction, etc.

Keenan is a genuine asset to the Division. His rapport with his colleagues, co-workers and coal operators is genuine and one of mutual respect. Keenan is well-deserving of the award as he continues to go above and beyond on a daily basis.

Employee Highlight – Fall 2017

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Susan White is an environmental scientist, reclamation specialist, biologist and project manager for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program (AMRP). She has been with the Division since 1990 and has worked in the coal and minerals programs and administration. She also worked two years with the Energy Advisor and Office of Energy Development.

As a project manager, Susan oversees a lengthy checklist of processes that must be done before any actual mine closure work is done. A medium sized project with 30 to 50 openings takes two to three years of surveys and paperwork before construction starts. Once construction begins, work can be completed in a couple of weeks. 

Susan begins a project with a defined area, usually a mining district, and completes an inventory of safety hazards and mine closure options. She then assesses and contacts the resources potentially affected by reclamation including historic, paleontological, bats, raptors, and threatened or endangered species.  Public meetings are held to educate and gather project input. A National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document is produced accounting for the potentially affected resources and what steps will be taken to protect them.  Once these steps are complete, the federal funding partner, usually the Office of Surface Mining or the Bureau of Land Management, issues a decision document that then allows moving to construction.

While these processes are time consuming, it ensures Susan and the AMR program protect the environment and resources, while at the same time protect public safety.

According to Susan, the best part about her job is working with co-workers and partners- to her they are like family. She also enjoys getting out in the field and away from her desk (unless there are biting no-see ums).

Susan has a Bachelor of Science in Zoology with a minor in botany and a Master of Science in Range and Wildlife Management from Brigham Young University.

She has over 40 years of experience in the natural resource field. Some of the highlights include a threaten and endangered plant survey in southeastern Utah in 1977; vegetation surveys along the Alaska oil pipeline for two summers; biotic surveys and revegetation work during the first oil shale boom and bust in the 1980s; and construction management for revegetation of oil and gas operations in western Wyoming, interstate pipelines, and interstate powerlines.

Susan has been riding her bike to work for about 25 years and finds it a great way to unwind. She also enjoys hiking and exploring trails along the Wasatch Front and is an avid gardener.

Message from Director John Baza – Summer 2017

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As a teen growing up in the 1960-70’s, I witnessed the significant changes in governmental policies relating to environmental impact and protection during those two decades.

The Clean Air Act was established in 1963, with revisions in 1970 that greatly expanded the role of the federal government; the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was introduced in 1969 and became effective on January 1, 1970; the first Earth Day was in April 1970; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was created in December 1970; and the Clean Water Act came about in 1972 with amendments to a previous water pollution law.  Each of these actions was intended to change the historical behavior of American citizens and American industry to be more aware and protective of the planet’s resources and environment.

As I have now been involved with the energy and mineral extractive industries since my university years, I can attest that the 1970s brought similar attention for environmental protection to the petroleum and mining industries in the U.S. The decades since have seen increasing laws and regulatory processes designed to progressively reduce environmental impacts and minimize risk to public safety and health as well as the ecosystems that humans can affect. 

Although the original Utah Oil and Gas Conservation Commission was established in 1955, this program was updated and revamped as a result of a legislative audit in 1982. The legislature also acted in 1975 to create the Utah Mined Land Reclamation Act that established a Minerals Regulatory Program in OGM. When the U.S. Congress passed the Surface Coal Mining and Reclamation Act in 1977, they included a provision for states to assume primacy delegation for the implementation of a coal regulatory system. Utah applied for and assumed that primacy in 1981. 

It is often asked in the context of economic development discussions whether or not environmental policies have gone too far.  Have we already accomplished what was intended by the environmental movement of the 1960s and 1970s?  Should we attempt to cease all extractive industry activity and its related impact in the cause of terminating any potential risk to our natural world? Humans need the resources to be produced from the earth’s underground energy and mineral resources as much as they need clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. Thus, it is a matter of balancing responsible development with the duty to be good stewards of earth. But to ensure that we perform these actions responsibly means effort must be placed on good analysis, review, and monitoring of extractive development operations. OGM strives to perform these efforts efficiently and effectively and with due regard to balancing the public’s needs.

We are proud of the resulting outcome that the public continues to derive benefit from the production of oil, gas, coal and minerals in Utah with no significant impact to the vast majority of the citizens of the state.

Oil and Gas Program Update

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The Oil and Gas Program implemented a new database system June 2017, a project that has taken nearly four years to complete. The database replaced an outdated system with newer technology and functions.

Data management is a critical element to the success of the program as it helps track all well data, production, injection, inspection, and compliance information. Over 16,000 wells and facilities statewide create a tremendous amount of data accessed daily by entities including federal, state and county governments. In addition, this data is critical to operators who use the records for exploration research and by the general public who may want information on wells and activities in their area.

Staff has also worked to update current policies and procedures and drafted the Division Standard Operating Procedures, which includes documents guiding staff through a multitude of program processes. These procedures are utilized as training material for new employees, as well as references for field staff.

Staff developed Guidance Documents for operators and stakeholders to use in an effort to reduce many of the variable interpretations of Division Statutes that have occurred in the past. Staff identified several hot topic issues including spills and reclamation activity and developed documents to aide operators with such events.

The development of Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance Documents is an ongoing project within the Oil and Gas Program that will be updated as additional policies and processes are identified and developed.

Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program: Oral History Project

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The Abandoned Mine Reclamation Program is conducting a statewide oral history project to help preserve Utah’s mining history. The goal of the project is to record the stories and voices of those who worked in the mines preserving information for the public, as well as mining historians.

The interviews are conducted by historians with experience in mining history research —most recently Lee Bennett in Monticello, Utah. She locates people to interview, learns about their involvement, and creates interview questions in a way that encourages people to talk about their unique experiences. Interviews to date include uranium, coal and metals mining from 1931 to 2006, in 11 counties from Salt Lake to San Juan.

The interviews are recorded by a professional videographer in order to create a high-quality visual and audio record. The entire interview is then transcribed, resulting in a written transcript that can be used for historical research. The camera footage is edited into a cohesive presentation that includes the best stories and most interesting tidbits, and the resulting video is published on YouTube.

The original recordings and the full transcripts are housed at the Utah State Archives where they are available for public use and research. YouTube videos and full interview transcripts are also available through the Division’s website  https://www.ogm.utah.gov/amr/education.php#oralHistories. All materials are available for free public use.

If you know someone who has a story to tell, please contact Project Manager Jan Morse at 801-538-5327 or janmorse@utah.gov.

Born into a mining family, Bob Turri grew up in the small town of Latuda in Carbon County, UT. Bob discusses his childhood in the town and working at the Liberty Mine.

Employee Highlight – Summer 2017

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Peter Brinton has been a reclamation specialist for the minerals program for seven years. His primary responsibilities include reviewing mine permit documents and providing guidance for mine permitting, inspecting mining operations to evaluate reclamation and compliance, and taking enforcement actions as needed. 

Peter frequently works with smaller mine operators educating them on best mining and reclamation practices and helping facilitate permitting. He reviews large mine and reclamation plans for hazardous and non-hazardous materials, hydrology, and engineering components. He is also currently helping to develop a GIS-based interactive minerals program map identifying all mine locations and their status.

Prior to mining, Peter helps protect public safety and natural resources through the permitting process and by educating mine operators.  At the end of a mine’s life, the program certifies that reclamation meets the state mineral mine reclamation rules for public safety and resource protection/mitigation.  

According to Peter, ensuring responsible resource development is achieved by education and helping operators, particularly small mine operators, navigate the permitting process. Responsible development involves trying to implement the mine permitting requirements in a balanced way and facilitating the timelines of operators when possible.

Peter says the best part of his job is the ongoing learning opportunities and field work, including mine reclamation oversight. 

Peter received a Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering from the University of Utah and a Master of Science in Hydrology from the Colorado School of Mines.