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By J. Kemeny, R. Fuentealba, C. Rodriguez, F. Fernandez, M. Rocha, T. BoBo

"Mathematical modeling in conjunction with mineral characterization is widely used as a method for design and optimization of comminution circuits, to simulate the processes of crushing, grinding and classification. An important input parameter to the simulation models is the Run-of-Mine Particle Size Distribution (ROM PSD). The run-of-mine size distributions due to blasting have a great influence on the performance of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. In this paper, a mine case study was conducted where there are four primary geologic units and the material properties between the four units vary considerably. Also, the mixture of the four unit that will be mined at any given time also vary considerably. This presents a challenge in terms of optimizing the blasting for mill production throughout the mine life. As part of the case study, field rock mass characterization, laboratory rock mechanics tests, and laboratory breakage tests were conducted. The field characterization and rock mechanics tests provide material properties used to simulate the effect of different blast designs on run of mine particle size distributions (ROM PSD). The JKSimBlast software was used for these simulations. The rock breakage tests provide material properties used to simulate crushing and grinding performance. The JKSimMet software was used for these simulations. The goal of the mine is a mill throughput of 95,000 tonnes (104,720 tons) per day (TPD). Based on this goal, run-of-mine fragmentation analysis was conducted for four blasting designs resulting in powder factors of 0.44, 0.54, 0.64, and 0.94 kg/t. The powder factor of 0.44 represents a standard blasting design, while the 0.54 and 0.64 kg/t designs are high-energy blasts specifically to assist with mill production. The 0.94 kg/t design was investigated for the one geologic unit with very high strength. The results of the run-of-mine fragmentation analysis was then input into a crushing and grinding simulation model to predict the mill throughput for the time periods of 1-5 years and 6-10 years. The results indicate that certain blast designs are able to achieve the 95,000 tonnes TPD (104,720 tons TPD) goal, while other blast designs were not. A standard blast design with a 0.44 kg/t powder factor, for example, was not able to achieve the throughput goal, while a design with a 0.64 kg/t powder factor was able to achieve the goal in both the 1-5 and 5-10 year time periods. INTRODUCTION In recent years, mathematical modeling in conjunction with mineral characterization has been widely used as a method for the design and optimization of comminution circuits. The Run-of-Mine Particle Size Distribution (ROM PSD) is a function of rock properties and design parameters of the blast and has a significant impact on the crushing and grinding treatment circuit. Traditionally, design of the grinding treatment is estimated using only the F80 value instead of the full distribution of sizes in the feed, but the finer sizes have great influence on the treatment of a grinder, particularly in the SAG mill."

Jan 1, 2015

By Jeffrey J. Daniels

Advances in borehole geophysical research for mineral assaying, and remote detection of mineralization away from the borehole. Nuclear activation measurement research has provided accurate in situ assays of economic metals with neutron-gamma activation, using a high resolution intrinsic-germanium detector. Although nuclear activation analysis is the present "best-hope" for obtaining in situ assays for some elements, gamma-gamma and magnetic susceptibility measurements can provide accurate assays for lead-zinc and magnetite, respectively. Borehole optical spectroscopy and x-ray fluorescence are being investigated as possible in situ assaying techniques for some minerals. More laboratory and field calibration research is needed before nonlinear complex resistivity (NLCR) can be routinely used as a quantitative assaying tool. Field tests have shown that variations in the local geologic environment can affect the quantitative accuracy of assay values from downhole NLCR measurements. Deeply penetrating borehole geophysical methods are increasingly being used for mineral exploration as drilling costs and exploration have increased. Borehole electrical measurements have been shown to be useful for detecting conductive orebodies that are not interesected by a drillhole. Hole-to-surface resistivity, and surface-to-hole time-domain electromagnetics are demonstrated to be particularly effective for defining mineralized zones in a massive sulfide environment. Borehole gravity meters and three-component magnetometers have been developed and should prove useful for defining geologic anomalies away from the drillhole.

Jan 1, 1985

By Seokwon Jeon, Ho-Young Jeong

"Various numerical methods have been tried to estimate the cutting forces of a TBM disc cutter. In this study, SPH/FEM coupled method was newly employed to improve the traditional FEM analysis. The disc cutter and rock were modeled by Lagrange and SPH codes, respectively. The numerical cutting test was carried out for representative Korean rocks with different cutting conditions. The results show that the cutting forces obtained from numerical simulation had a good agreement with those from LCM tests, and that applying SPH method to rock cutting model has advantages and improvement compared to traditional FEM method. Erosion criterion and erosion limit were not required to simulate the rock fragmentation process, and the cutting forces from the numerical simulation was more stable and accurate. The results indicate that the numerical simulation can be successfully used to estimate cutting performance of a TBM. 1. INTRODUCTION Various numerical studies have been carried out to accurately simulate the limitations of linear cutting machine (LCM) tests. Numerical modelling methods have advantages comparing with full scale tests in terms of cost and time involved. Many numerical methods have been used to simulate rock cutting process by different cutting tools and the studies are summarized in Table 1.In 2D simulations listed in Table 1, because they do not take account of rolling force and horizontal rolling mechanism of a disc cutter, indenter was selected as cutting tool in their modelling. For these reason, 2D modelling is not suitable for rock cutting modelling using a disc cutter. In contrast, 3D numerical models can take account of the indentation process by thrust force and penetration processes controlled by rolling force."

Jan 1, 2016

By M. Z. Mubarok, Z. T. Ichlas, A. T. Sugiarto, K. Sukamto

The use of ozone as an oxidant for the direct leaching of zinc sulfide (sphalerite) concentrate in sulfuric acid medium under atmospheric pressure was explored. The influence of acid concentration, feed gas injection rate, particle size distribution, stirring speed, temperature and slurry density on zinc extraction efficiency was examined. The experimental results showed that the leaching efficiency depends on all of these operating parameters except for stirring speed. It was found that essentially complete dissolution of zinc from the concentrate with the present method can be achieved in only about seven hours under the conditions of sulfuric acid concentration of 2 mol/L, particle size smaller than 74 µm, slurry density of 50 g/L, stirring speed of 420 rpm and feed gas injection rate of 1 L/min at ambient temperature. The experimental results suggest that the dissolution reactions produce independent elemental sulfur that is readily floated and can be easily separated rather than forming a layer on the surface of the reacted particle, as usually observed in a system with ferric-sulfate as oxidizing agent. It was therefore determined that the dissolved ozone play a key role in improving the rate of zinc dissolution from the concentrate. Analysis of the leaching kinetics indicate that the leaching rate follows the shrinking particle model, and the overall dissolution rate of zinc is controlled by a surface reaction.

By P. T. Bissert, J. P. Ducarme, J. L. Carr, A. K. Smith

"The continuous mining machine is a key piece of equipment used in underground coal mining operations. Over the past several decades these machines have been involved in a number of mine worker fatalities. Proximity detection systems have been developed to avert hazards associated with operating continuous mining machines. Incorporating intelligent design into proximity detection systems allows workers greater freedom to position themselves to see visual cues or avoid other hazards such as haulage equipment or unsupported roof or ribs. However, intelligent systems must be as safe as conventional proximity detection systems. An evaluation of the 39 fatal accidents for which the Mine Safety and Health Administration has published fatality investigation reports was conducted to determine whether the accident may have been prevented by conventional or intelligent proximity. Multiple zone configurations for the intelligent systems were studied to determine how system performance might be affected by the zone configuration. Researchers found that 32 of the 39 fatalities (82%) may have been prevented by both conventional and intelligent proximity systems. These results indicate that, by properly configuring the zones of an intelligent proximity detection system, equivalent protection to a conventional system is possible. INTRODUCTION Underground coal miners are exposed to a variety of hazards on a daily basis. Among coal and rock dust exposure, high noise levels, roof and rib falls, and the potential for fires and explosions, operating and working with heavy machinery poses a significant risk to miner safety. One of the most hazardous jobs is operating or working nearby a continuous mining machine (CMM). According to Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) statistics, 39 miners have been fatally struck or pinned by a CMM since 1984. In an effort to prevent future striking and pinning fatalities from occurring, proximity detection systems have been developed and are now required on all operating CMMs in underground coal mines with the exception of full-face CMMs [1]. Commercially available proximity detection (cPD) systems are based on the principle of magnetic flux density (B-field). Typically, four magnetic field generators are positioned on a CMM, and personal alarm devices (PADs) are worn by the miners that detect magnetic flux density difference. As a miner wearing a PAD gets closer to the machine, the flux density increases. Zones can be constructed around the machine so that an alarm will trigger on the PAD based on the flux density."

Jan 1, 2016

By S. J. Root

The mineral processing industry supplies raw materials to a wide variety of manufacturing sectors. Large companies such as Ford, Microsoft, and Johnson&Johnson have pledged carbon neutral supply chains in the coming decades, leaving suppliers to reevaluate their energy sources [1–3]. National Renewable Energy Lab [4] has partnered with over 700 organizations with similar goals in mind. The energy needs are broad in scope in the mineral processing industry. Generation IV of nuclear reactors, which is currently under development in both the private and public sector includes a class called microreactors like the small modular reactor XEnergy plans to install at Dow Chemical’s Gulf Coast facility by 2023 [5]. As the name implies, these are smaller than the utility scale nuclear power plants in operation today, and are intended to be more versatile. A specific reactor core design, along with modules could be selected to fit a certain application without needing to design a greenfield power plant. Basic water cooled designs could easily supply shaft work, electricity, and low grade process heat to a facility. More advanced designs, such as molten-salt-reactors and high-temperaturegas-reactors can achieve higher temperatures needed for ore roasting. Similarly, these reactors could produce hydrogen by high temperature electrolysis to use as combustion fuel and reducing atmosphere in blast furnaces.

Feb 1, 2023

By N. Myung, G. Hwang, H. Kim, Y. Han, S. Choi

"According to research presently being conducted on selective lithium recovery in seawater, inorganic adsorbents with high selectivity and capacity for capturing lithium ions from liquid lithium resources are called lithium ion-sieves (LISs). Their low toxicity, low cost and high chemical stability make LISs suitable for lithium recovery from seawater. In the present study, the ultrathin LMO nanofibers with controlled diameter were successfully fabricated by an electrospinning technique with a hypothesis that greater aspect ratio (i.e., smaller diameter) would lead to the enhanced recovery of lithium ion from seawater. Design of Experiment (DOE) and dimensionless analysis were performed to systematically optimize the diameter and morphology of nanofibers. Several complementary techniques including FE-SEM and XRD were used to evaluate the physical/physicochemical properties of the nanofibers. Lastly, the lithium ion recovery was tested for the nanofibers with different physical properties using lithium ion solution. INTRODUCTION Demand for lithium resources is increasing in many industries across the world.1-2 However, the conventional resources for lithium is very limited, and it even gets worse to secure the resources due to low grade and/or complexity of feed materials. Much effort has been, therefore, devoted to obtaining lithium from aqueous lithium resources. Several methods such as solar evaporation3-4, co-precipitation5, and solvent extraction6 have been proposed for recovering lithium from an aqueous lithium source, but there are limitations on its use; It takes a very long time or conditions such as temperature, pH and Mg/Li ratio are severe. Lithium ion-sieve (LIS) materials are considered as a good lithium adsorbent because of their unique chemical structure that can selectively separate lithium ion from brine and seawater.7- 10 Furthermore, their low toxicity, low cost, and high chemical stability make LIS suitable for lithium recovery from aqueous lithium resources. Spinel hydrous manganese oxide (HMn2O4) derived from spinel lithium manganese oxide (LiMn2O4) after topotactically extracting lithium from the spinel structure by acid treatment is most widely investigated LIS.10, LIS materials have been actively studied in various forms for easy handling and high efficiency (i.e. membrane11,12, foam13-14, granular15,16). Among them, the 1-D nanostructure LIS with high specific surface area is excellent in efficiency.9 In this study, we present the part of our recently submitted work17. Specifically, we fabricated systemically lithium manganese oxide nanofibers with different diameter as a lithium ion adsorbent using electrospinning technique through design of experiment (DOE). Enhanced lithium ion adsorption properties of the HMn2O4 nanofibers with different diameter were investigated in lithium liquid resources."

Jan 1, 2018

By J. S. Walker

Public Law 95-87 enacted by Congress in 1977 and subsequent regulations require coal mine operators to predict the effects of mining on the environment prior to the start of mining. Prediction of the effects of mining on the local groundwater system is a difficult task due to its complex nature and the lack of detailed published information. An investigation of water level fluctuations in five we1 1s positioned over three consecutively mined longwall panels was initiated in conjunction with an intensive subsidence monitoring program. The purpose of this work was to provide detailed information which could be used to predict certain hydrologic effects of longwall mining in the Northern Appalachian Coal Region. The results of this case study indicate that water level fluct- uations in the local ground-water system above longwall panels is associated with subsidence and that the static water level will generally re- establish at or near the pre-mining elevation after mining is completed.

Jan 1, 1986

By R. Hemp

This paper describes work carried out to obtain a heat balance in the B3 shaft longwall stope at Blyvooruitzicht gold mine. Recordings were made of the temperature of the air and chilled water entering and leaving the section during three periods, August 1 September 1977, November 1 December 1977 and March 1978. These recordings, together with numerous other measurements were used to determine the rate at which heat was being removed from the section by the various fluids flowing through the section. The rate at which heat was entering the section was then calculated, by considering each source in turn. These two sets of figures made it possible to draw up a heat balance, and also obviously gave vital information on the magnitudes of the various heat sources and on the methods used to remove heat. In general reasonable heat balances were obtained, the errors being in the range -6 per cent to +22 per cent.

Jan 1, 1980

By D. S. Choi

Underground production of coal by longwall methods has increased significantly in the last few years and will very likely continue to: increase. There are several reasons for this. First, as mining moves into seams having greater overburden, roof exposure must be reduced since support will become' increasingly expensive. Secondly, the growing demand for coal has forced the coal industry to seek alternative, more productive, coal mining methods. In addition, the longwall method greatly simplifies the underground ventilation network. This paper addresses itself to the design of longwall development headings, particularly to those of the United States where multiple development headings are required by law. The most burdensome problem encountered in many longwall mining installations is deterioration of the tailgate due to the combined effect from, the active longwall gob and the old gob made by mining the previous panel.1 Portions of the tailgate entry are sometimes closed to such a degree that extensive repair work is necessary to keep the entry in usable condition. The purpose of this paper is to present the result of a study in progress which combines field measurements with numerical model analysis to reduce the cost of maintaining tailgate entries in longwall mining systems.

Jan 1, 1975

By Daniel T. Hegyan

The employment of continuous rotary vacuum disc filters to filter refuse from the fine coal washing circuits has been increasing as it has become more important to close the water circuits and eliminate sludge holding ponds. This paper will discuss our past experience filtering refuse, effects of solids concentration in the filter feed, use of polymer flocculation aids, effect of flocculation devices, and effects of particle size and ash content on the filtration rate. Detailed tests were performed on existing installations utilizing coal refuse filters to determine optimum flocculant dosage, solids concentration, and disc rotation speed to form a dischargeable cake. Information was also obtained showing effect of flocculant addition on the moisture of the filter cake. Our test work has shown that the continuous filtration dry cake rates for fine coal refuse correlates very well with the data developed and presented by Silverblatt and Dahlstrom1 except that the curves have moved up the scale by use of polymer flocculant additions. These polymers were not available at that writing. Finally, our tests also confirmed the general premise stated by S. K. Mishra2 that controlled additions of polymer flocculants will reduce filter refuse cake moistures somewhat.

Jan 1, 1974

By William F. Riggs

Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company, located in a semi-arid climate in Arizona, continually struggles with a water problem. This applies to quality as well as quantity. When the EPA considered installing a new centralized sewage plant to handle the combined waste from the municipalities of Globe and Miami, Arizona, they automatically assumed that He could use the sewage effluent for process water in flotation. The treatment plant was to be a tertiary system producing 1600 gpm of sewage effluent. Inspiration decided that this could possibly be a source of additional process water. It was decided to test sewage effluent from Miami Treatment Plant at the rate of 400 gpm since it was only a primary treatment plant. The 400 gpm was combined with the 5000 gpm of process water going to the Concentrator. After one week the results were disastrous. The recovery and final grade had each dropped approximately 5%. With the results from this brief run, it was concluded that sewage effluent from a primary treatment plant could not be used. Research was then brought into the problem to begin an evaluation of sewage effluent in flotation.

Jan 1, 1977

By D. R. Baughman

Copper oxide deposits that may be considered for in situ leaching exist in unique geologic settings, different from uranium deposits. A large number of interrelated factors must be considered in wellfield design. Many of these factors are hard to quantify and are directly related to geologic features of the orebody. This paper discusses some of the important factors in wellfield design and suggests an outline for a design procedure.

Jan 1, 1988

By Jerome A. Westphal

The Middle Mississippi River extends from the mouth of the Ohio River to the mouth of the Missouri River, a distance of about 310 kilometers (km) measured along the river. From its founding in 1764 to the first steamboat arrival in 1817, the City of St. Louis was little more than a trading post. However, with the advent of the shallow-draft steamboat, the Middle Mississippi River rapidly became a major thoroughfare of commerce. In this regard, its importance has been reflected by the development of port facilities at St. Louis and by Federal activity relating to channel maintenance and improvement. First Federal work on the Middle Mississippi River was autho¬rized by Congress in 1824. This work was for snag removal and bank clearing and was directed at reducing the hazards to steamboat traffic, particularly during low-flow periods. During the 1820's and early 1830's, the main channel threatened to move toward the Illinois shore and abandon the St. Louis port facilities. In 1836 and 1837, Congress authorized construction of permanent improvements to keep-the river next to St. Louis (Missouri shore). By 1880, it was recognized that bank clearing activities had resulted in a wider and shallower river which exacerbated navigation

Jan 1, 1977

By S. Hartman

The Escalante Silver Mine in Southwest Utah produces an average of 71.000 kg (2.3 million troy ounces) of silver dore annually. Precipitates from a cyanide leach circuit are treated by either acid leaching prior to fusion or a direct fusion with nitre. Process development, plant experience, and a comparison of both methods will be discussed. Plant experience from the custom treatment of a gold/silver precipitate containing matte producing elements will also be covered.

Jan 1, 1989

By Seung Han Kim, Andrew Yu, Carlos Jaramillo, Chu-Chieh Jay Lin

The Penstock Access Tunnel (PAT) concrete plug is a reinforced concrete plug separating the pressure tunnels from the personnel accessible tunnels and has leaked since the first filling at the Helms Pumped Storage Plant located in Fresno County, California. A grouting program was successfully implemented in 2009 to reduce the leakage from PAT concrete plug from over 1,000 gpm to 25 gpm. Recent observations indicated increasing water leakage through new pathways, leading to a decision to execute a high-pressure grouting and waterproof membrane installation program in 2017. The high-pressure grouting and membrane installation program was successfully executed in the areas adjacent to the PAT concrete plug where most of the inflows originated and the largest hydraulic gradients are suspected to present. It reduced the leakage from over 300 gpm of inflow to less than 20 gpm.

Jun 13, 2021

By R. Poulin, R. Pakalnis, D. Peterson

Introduction A comprehensive project has been completed at the University of British Columbia that focused on the development of a commercially competitive composite cable bolt. Laboratory evaluation consisted of pull tests, preliminary shear tests, grout column testing and scanning electron microscope evaluation of the composite cable bolt. Field implementation at five underground mines throughout Canada were completed for technical and overall performance evaluation of the new product. The project began in 1989 under the sponsorship of HDRK Ltd., a consortium of mining companies including Inco, Noranda and Falconbridge Ltd. The objective was to develop a cuttable cable bolt that would serve as support for a continuous miner within a hardrock environment (Mah, 1994). The bolt was required to be cuttable by a continuous roadheader without adverse effects to equipment, personnel and the milling process. From the beginning, the focus was to employ existing cable bolt installation technology (Goris et al., 1994) whereby the cable bolts are grouted within a 4.8-cm-diam (1.08-in.diam) or larger employing a portland cement grout having a water: cement ratio between 0.35:1 to 0.4:1. The prototype, developed from Phase I, was technically comparable to that of conventional steel cable bolts. However, high cost and limited accessibility hindered its commercial acceptance. The second phase of the project was sponsored by the British Columbia Science Council and Pacific Pultrusions Ltd. of British Columbia to locally develop a glass fiber cable bolt. This phase of the project has resulted in the DAPPAM cable bolt (Pakalnis et al., 1994). DAPPAM Cable bolts are the second most used support method in Canadian underground mines after mechanical rock bolts. It is projected that 870,000 m (2.9 million ft) of cable bolts are installed annually in Canada (Poulin et al, 1994). The objective of the research program was to develop a glass fiber cable bolt with similar pullout strengths to the conventional steel cable bolts (267 kN - 60,000 lbf). More than 200 laboratory pull tests were conducted employing standard cable bolt test procedures, as outlined by the US Bureau of Mines (Goris, 1994), to assess optimum rod and surface composition, geometry, number required, pullout and shear characteristics, among others. This resulted in the DAPPAM cable bolt (Fig. 1). It consists of 10 individual 0.6cm-diam (0.25-in.-diam) rods enveloping a 2.2-cm (0.8-in.) outside diameter, high-density polyvinyl grout tube. The composite used in the construction of the rods is comprised of about 65% glass fiber within a 35% polyester resin matrix (by volume). Through pultrusion (a continuous fabrication technique), the fibers and resin are combined into a composite material. The strength of the overall composite is largely governed by the material properties, the alignment [ ] of the fibers relative to the applied load and the density and interaction of the overall components within the composite. A further modification to the composite was the addition of a sand grit to the surface of the individual rod. This increased the overall bond strength between the rod and the cement-based grout, used to solidify the cable bolt to the rock mass. The grout tube has an inside diameter of 1.9 cm (0.75 in.) and is rated at a pressure of 1.72 MPa (250 psi). During installation, the grout is pumped through the annulus of the grout tube thereby filling the hole from toe to collar. Laboratory and field trials concluded that a minimum drill hole diameter of 4.8 cm (1.08 in.) be used to ensure optimum grout coverage. Table 1 compares the design strengths (as tested) for DAPPAM vs. the ultimate strengths for a conventional 1.6cm (0.6-in.) steel cable bolt. The characteristics for the steel cable have been derived directly or indirectly by Goris et al. (1994). A design tensile strength of 289 kN (65,000 lbf) was proposed for the composite developed. However, recent tests have indicated maximum breaking strengths of more than 400 kN (90,000 lbf) (Fig. 2). Figure 2 shows the load vs. displacement pull out curves for steel and DAPPAM cable bolts. The methods of testing were standardized so as to be able to compare the results directly. The shear strength of the fiberglass cable is largely a function of the surface area sheared. Shear strengths of 89 kN (20,045 lbf) were obtained for the configuration shown in Fig. 1 when sheared normal to the axis of the cable. The testing procedure was similar to the shear tests performed on steel by Goris (1993). It is important to reinforce the implication that critical bond strength has on the success of an overall support system.

Jan 1, 1995

By F. J. Murrell

No other region of the world is enjoying the tremendous growth of power use that is currently being experienced in Asia. Fortunately for those of us in the coal industry -particularly in Asia -the preponderance of the power plants being planned or under construction designed to use coal as the power plant fuel. This has produced a significant increase in the demand for steam coal, which has in turn encouraged many of us in the industry to develop new coal mines. One country that has enjoyed very substantial growth in coal production is Indonesia. This developing country of 195,000,000 people who live on the nearly 13,000 islands of Indonesia have emerged very quickly to become the third largest exporter of steam coal, following only Australia and South Africa. Almost all coal in Indonesia is mined by surface mining methods. This paper will examine the surface mining of coal in Indonesia, as it continues to be an important part of the supply equation for coal in Asia.

Jan 1, 1996

By B. C. Lewis

The mining industry has experienced a general trend toward an increasing number of longwall operations, an increasing percentage of underground coal being mined by longwalls, and increasing productivity from the longwalls. Longwall operators have not yet reached a state of mining euphoria. Competitiveness both within the industry and from alternate fuel sources is forcing continued pursuit of higher productivities and lower costs. The following graphics present trends in the industry. Longwall mines, as defined for this presentation, are those reportedly having longwall installations in each of the respective years. Production from both the continuous miner and longwall units is included in the longwall mines. Non-Longwall mines are all other underground mines. Productivity calculations are based on total employee-hours associated with the operation.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. E. Lees

Advanced remote sensing can be a powerful new information tool to help private and public entities make better environmental and resource management decisions. However, some regulated entities are reluctant to develop or use this tool because of their concerns that it will lead to increased risks and costs of environmental legal liability. They fear that new ways of monitoring the environment will increase liability, undermine existing enforcement agreements, reopen compliance agreements, and generally provide a competitive disadvantage to early adopters by accelerating environmental cleanup costs. Others counter that the increased risks are marginal, and that several advantages outweigh these risks, including the opportunity to more effectively manage environmental operations, target and set priorities, measure and track management and compliance effectiveness, provide more defensible environmental assessments and baseline conditions, make and defend optimal siting decisions, and avoid or resolve environmental disputes. This paper offers strategic advice on ways regulated entities can enjoy the benefits of these powerful new information tools while mitigating down-side legal and compliance risks as much as possible.

Jan 1, 1999