Section 2: Metal Mining

Metal Mines reporting to TRI, 2013

The portion of the metal mining sector covered by TRI includes facilities mining for copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, and several other metals. In 2013, 88 metal mining facilities reported to TRI and they tend to be in Western states where most of the copper, silver, and gold mining occurs; however, zinc and lead mining tend to occur in Missouri, Tennessee, and Alaska. Metals generated from U.S. mining operations are used in a wide range of products, including automobiles and electrical and industrial equipment. The extraction and beneficiation of these minerals generate large amounts of waste.

This page was published in January 2015 and uses the 2013 TRI National Analysis dataset made public in TRI Explorer in October 2014.