Balancing mining and the environment

During my recent visit to the Philippines last February, I learned there were major problems between the country’s mining industry and local communities. Both sides have their legitimate rights to argue their respective cases. However, it is unfortunate that the tragic record of past abuses by some mining operators and the lack of government enforcement and policies to protect the environment brought about the current stalemate and contentious relationship. When two sports teams or players are not making any progress or have been fumbling the ball, either coach would normally call a “time-out.” Such is the case we have here.

The temporary “time-out” phase will permit more time for both parties to reevaluate their priorities as well as identify areas where they could be more flexible. In the past, I participated in such contentious meetings and debates in the US and other countries. Initially, you would think that there is absolutely no common ground. But through coaching and gentle (or creative) persuasion, even the hardened professional, executive, and environmentalist, could later become sensible and begin to understand the other side’s point of view. The ultimate goal is to find win-win solutions that will be mutually beneficial to all parties concerned. Let me present an actual case study in the US.

Case Study: The USA still faces an ongoing challenge of balancing the rights of coal companies and property owners. From the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the US petroleum industry grew at a rapid pace. This was the period when John D. Rockefeller made his fortune in oil. Thousands of wells were drilled before the US Government enacted laws to protect the environment but was too late. There are currently over a thousand abandoned legacy oil/gas wells in the Appalachia Coal Basin alone that need to be found and remediated. Coal companies are required by law to find and plug (i.e. cement) the abandoned wells before they are permitted to mine the coal because of safety. A spark from an underground mining machine with a metal pipe could create explosive conditions if deeper gas or oil migrated upward. In addition, the open holes act as conduits for surface untreated water to flow down and possibly contaminate shallow aquifers. To compound the problem of finding and detecting these abandoned legacy oil/gas wells, there was a major recycling effort during WWII in which the metal pipes were retrieved but their locations were left unmarked. Thus, coal companies had to revert back to old unreliable maps. As recent as 15 years ago, coal companies still employ the old fashion bulldozer and backhoe method to scrape the surface and/or dig around the property to find any physical evidence of the abandoned well. Even though property owners are compensated by the coal company, they are unhappy to see their property torn up. To address this contentious issue, an innovative (non-invasive) remote-sensing technology was adopted and employed to quickly “scan” the property of any evidence or indication of an abandoned legacy oil/gas well. This particular geophysical method has a high degree of success. This new technique now permits coal companies to focus their search efforts to much smaller areas based on the geoscientific data. There are times the geophysical survey did not show any indication of an abandoned well on the property; thus, sparing coal companies from unnecessary digging and of course to the delight of property owners. Such geoscientific data are now accepted by the state and federal regulatory agencies as part of their “due diligence” process and mining permits are usually granted thereafter — a win-win solution.

The above case study highlights the challenges faced by the US coal industry in which they inherited a major problem left behind by the early oil drilling operators coupled with the lack or absence of government regulations. Even though it was unfair to the coal industry, the past cannot be undone. The industry however responded positively by adopting innovative remote-sensing technologies to address this particular problem.  

The Philippine mining issues could probably be more complex. If the problems are more complex, then it needs to be simplified. A review of the country’s mining laws may be needed to see whether regulations also conform to international standards. Internationally-recognized mining consultants may be needed to help arbitrate. The USA has one of the world’s strictest environmental laws and penalties for non-compliance are severe. And yet, oil and mining companies continue to prosper in the USA because management knows how to maximize the utilization of its manpower (technical and engineering) resources and employ leading edge technologies.

From my point of view, the Philippine academic community needs to boost its applied and environmental sciences programs in order to support the mining industry and government. You cannot find oil or rich mineral deposits sitting in the office or in front of the computer. You need to go out in the field to explore and investigate. Thus, more efforts should be focused in field work and data collection. These courses must be offered with a clear career path for those who are taking it.

As you know, globalization has made the world smaller and created highly-competitive global markets. Countries with rich mineral resources, such as Mongolia, are moving forward to capitalize on the high commodity prices while the Philippines remains in a state of flux. Thus, we all need to come together (local communities, mining companies, and government) to work for the common good and betterment of the nation.

(EDITOR’s NOTE: Lawrence Gochioco has BS and MS Degrees in Physics from Ateneo de Manila University and Ohio University. He is an internationally-renowned geophysicist with 30 years of diverse experience in the US petroleum, mining, and environmental industries. He published over 40 geotechnical papers and feature articles in various international geoscience and engineering journals. In addition, he joined the prestigious TLE Editorial Board of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) in 2000 and became its chairman during his 2003-04 term. As a result of his robust management and geotechnical skills, the US Government invited him to join three US Trade Missions to Asian countries on “Clean & Renewable Energies” and “Mining Technologies.” In 2004, he formed his own Energy and Environmental Consulting firm based in Houston, Texas, USA.)