Mining for the Future: Communities of Extraction Seeking Hope in Their Pasts

Session Submission Type: Complete Panel

Abstract

Exploring four late-twentieth century communities in the American West, this panel examines the social divergence over environmental resources, namely land, air, and water. We uncover how this divergence is reflected within environmental policies and has been exacerbated by the mining industries. In this panel, we collectively argue for more historical research into the successes and failures of state and federal legislation to protect communities from environmental harm.

In Superior, Arizona, the Magma Copper Company failed to consider the livelihood of their employees after closing their smelter due to the Clean Air Act. The company fired the majority of its smelter workers and shifted its pollution from smelter to train as the company started shipping its copper south to be smelted. In part, the company’s negligence in adapting to environmental policies resulted in the closure of the Magma Mine, leaving thousands of workers without jobs. On the Navajo Nation, uranium and coal mining caused environmental, health, and economic problems for Diné communities. Since the 1970s, various efforts were made to heal their lands by a small community of workers who used mining reclamation technology as a pathway to environmental justice, traditional knowledge, and healing. But there is a greater need for collaborative initiatives involving Diné leadership, federal agencies, and non-governmental organizations. And since the 1980, mining town residents in Globe, Arizona and Leadville, Colorado have grappled with the need to address waste from decades of mining. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (Superfund) sparked debates on cleaning up industrial waste sites. Successful cleanups addressed local health and economic concerns, offering a model for other toxic sites. All three studies underscore the importance of collaboration and state and federal policy in protecting communities from health issues resulting from various types of mining in Arizona and Colorado.

Sub Unit

• ASEH Annual Conference

Individual Presentations

• “Deal the Cards for Another 100 Years”: The Clean Air Act and Copper Mining in Superior, Arizona” - Hailey Doucette, University of Kansas

• “[Bringing the Land Back to Life] From Extraction to Restoration: Environmental Justice in Mining Reclamation on the Navajo Nation” - Don Dooley Unger, University of Arizona

• “Disentangling Local Knowledge: Debates Over EPA Superfund Projects in US West Mining Communities, 1978-2001” - Nichelle Frank, Utah State University

Chair

• Elizabeth Grennan Browning, University of Oklahoma