2009 Montana Mining - Montana Mining Association

Did you know that there are 9,000 pounds of copper, including
632,000 feet of copper wire, in a 747-200 jet airplane? Or that
a basic automobile contains about 50 pounds of copper? Copper
plays an integral part in everyday life, yet many people don't appreciate
it – unless you happen to be one of the 350 employees at
Montana Resources in Butte, that is.
Montana Resources operates an open pit copper and molybdenum
mine. The operation comprises the Continental mine, crushers
and a concentrator facility where thousands of tons of raw ore are
processed into high-quality metal concentrates. The management of
mining economies, adding control technology and production techniques,
allows Montana Resources to competitively produce copper
and molybdenum concentrates for a world market. Montana
Resources is the lowest grade copper mine operating in the world
today. Head grades of copper ore average ¼ of one percent. The path
for metal concentrates from earth to railcar involves many separate
processes, mechanical and chemical, overseen by trained personnel.
The copper mined at Montana Resources heads to China and to
smelters in the U.S. and Canada. The molybdenum is shipped to a
roasting plant in Pennsylvania, where it’s ultimately used in making
stainless steel and other steel alloys.
Environmental Stewardship
Montana Resources is part of a modern generation of mine operators
that strives to innovate processes and use more efficient technologies
that lessen the impact of mining on the environment. They
recognize the need to monitor water and air quality.
“We have in place a closed circuit water system wherein all water
used in the mine and concentrator is recycled through the process,
with zero discharge to the outside environment,” explains Tad Dale,
P.E., vice president of human resources.
Of course, mining raises dust, and every effort is made to minimize
it. Water trucks constantly wet down haul roads in never-ending
circuits.
60 Montana Mining 2009
A view of the Montana Resources water treatment plant. Montana Resources has a
closed-circuit water system in place wherein all water used in the mine and concentrator
is recycled through the process, with zero discharge to the outside environment.
History, mining and
stewardship in Butte By Rebecca Colnar & Tad Dale
As for reclamation, Montana Resources has just undergone a fiveyear
bond review by the state of Montana. “The state of Montana is
required by the Metal Mine Reclamation Act to review an operator’s
bond every five years, which assures taxpayers that the amount of
the bond to is sufficient to cover the cost of reclamation,” explains
Dale. “We want to be good stewards of our resource.”
Dale, a mining engineer, explains that an open pit mine is active
for the entire life of the pit, and is only reclaimed when it becomes
dormant. “Montana Resources practices concurrent reclamation,
reclaiming as soon as possible while mining operations continue,”
he says.
A Montana Resources employee pouring molten zinc, which is used in the
repair of the primary crusher.