- Much of Britain's industrial wealth is generated from mining minerals laying close to the surface- from coal to sand and gravel, slate, stone and clays. In virtually every region of Britain, there is a surface mine, quarrying or mineral extraction of some kind. Coal is only a small part of the total.
- UK COAL operates a business which integrates both deep mine and surface mining methods of mining coal. The two operations are inter-linked commercially, thus offering greater protection and security for jobs in both sectors of mining.
- About 80% of the coal mined by UK COAL, Britain's biggest coal producer, comes from deep mines. Only one tonne in every five comes from surface operations - a balance the company wishes to broadly maintain.
- Profits from surface mine operations help support the massive investments needed in deep mines.
- Coal recovered from shallow seams supports sales and helps preserve jobs in deep mines. Electricity generators and other big buyers require coal of a specific quality. Blending cleaner low chlorine shallow seam coal with deep mine output creates a bigger market.
- If Britain does not produce the coal of the quality customers require, other countries will - and mainly from surface mine sites.
- Nationally, the surface mine business employs almost 2,000 people, with earnings averaging between £25,000-£28,000 a year. UK COAL, which operates 4 sites, employs nearly 1,000 surface mine workers; 85% live within a 20 mile radius of the site they work on.
- Importing the coal produced from shallow workings nationally would cost the country over £400 million a year, puts 2,000 people on the dole and cost the Chancellor of the Exchequer about £50 million a year; £30 million a year in additional unemployment pay and a £20 million a year reduction in Income Tax receipts.
- Around £50 million a year is paid by UK COAL in rates to local authorities as a result of surface mining.
- A typical surface mine site covers an area of about 200 hectares and contains about 500,000 to a million tonnes of coal in a dozen or so seams. The average site has a life span of 2-3 years.
- Surface mining is often the catalyst for the development of new areas of housing, industry and recreation, assisting local authorities to provide better facilities for the community.
- Surface mining provides a unique opportunity to clear areas of major dereliction. Over recent years, about 30,000 acres of derelict land has been cleaned up by surface mining at no cost to the public purse.
- Surface mining companies operate a "Good Neighbour" policy to ensure that operations are carefully monitored and controlled. There are at least 35 clauses dealing with the environment in every production contract. Environmental assessments are carried out in advance of site working, and during production, site liaison committees made up of local people and site personnel meet regularly.
- Standards of land reclamation by surface mine operators are regarded as the finest in the world. Land in poor condition can be greatly improved. Over the past 25 years, about 80,000 hectares of land has been restored after surface mining - mainly back to farmland.
- Each year, hundreds and thousands of trees and several miles of hedgerow are planted as a result of surface mine restoration programmes. About 50 varieties of tree and shrub are planted to develop food and shelter for natural regeneration.
- Restoration can be tailor made to meet local needs. That could mean a new golf course, country park or nature area...facilities which can be enjoyed by millions. Surface mining, in association with local authorities and other organisations, has established at least seven country parks, 14 large nature reserves and numerous golf courses.
- A drive along the M1 motorway from Nottingham to Leeds will pass 50 former sites, all blended into the landscape.
- One of the outstanding restoration achievements can be seen at the Rother Valley Country Park south of Sheffield, where a wide range of activities, from water sports to dry slope skiing, provide a great family day out.
- Smaller schemes at Anglers and Pugneys near Wakefield, provide parkland settings and lakes used for a variety of leisure pursuits, while Hauxley Nature Reserve in Northumberland was developed in conjunction with Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
- Almost 400 villagers at Arkwright, Derbyshire, have been re housed thanks to surface mining. Their village was threatened by methane from old iron workings. Hundreds of acres of industrial dereliction will be removed and large areas of contaminated land made safe as a result of surface mining at Orgreave, near Sheffield and at other sites in the Barnsley area.
Surface Mining And Health Claims
It has been claimed that people living near surface mine sites are at greater risk to illnesses such as asthma. The facts are:
- Asthma is one of the most common diseases in Britain. There is substantial evidence that it is becoming more frequent NATIONWIDE - an increase not confined to areas of mineral extraction
- There is no scientific or qualitative evidence linking asthma with surface mine coal production.
- The Institute of Occupational Medicine has conducted extensive studies. The frequency of asthma among surface mine workers was found to be only 5 per cent - no higher than the frequency in the general population.
- Asthma was not linked to working in the dustiest surface mine jobs.
- Their report states: "Our research shows no evidence that dust on an opencast site can cause asthma."
- The report also states there is no link between surface mine working and chronic bronchitis or breathing capacity.
- The incidence of asthma amongst miners and surface mine workers involved in coal production is no higher than the national average.
- Less shallow coal is now produced each year compared with a decade ago (17-18mt). So if surface mining is a cause, the rate should be REDUCING, not increasing as it is nationally.
- Surface mine operations are extensively regulated - including dust and noise levels. All operators take effective measures to reduce dust in dry periods, including the watering of internal roads.
- Many of the worst sufferers of asthma live in areas where there is no surface mining - or no mineral extraction.
- The biggest increase in the rate of asthma is in London and the South East where there is no surface mining. The more likely cause is the increase in road traffic.
- Robert Davis, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at St Bartholomew's hospital in London says the use of gas in the home has resulted in an increase in asthma. There is good evidence from fascinating studies in Germany that if you do have central heating, gas stoves. etc., you have twice the risk of having these diseases (asthma) than if you go back to the old fashioned coal fire," he reported earlier this year, adding: "We have to dramatically think again how we do heat and ventilate our homes."
- The dust mite is the most common cause of asthma. It thrives in our well-carpeted homes.