United States Bureau of Mines
Department of the Interior |
For most of the 20th century, the United States Bureau of Mines (USBM) was the primary United States government agency conducting scientific research and disseminating information on the extraction, processing, use, and conservation of mineral resources. The Bureau was abolished in 1996.
History
The U.S. Bureau of Mines was established in the U.S. States Department of the Interior on May 16, 1910, pursuant to the Organic Act (Public Law 179), to deal with a wave of catastrophic mine disasters. The Bureau's mission was gradually expanded to include:
- The conduct of research to enhance the safety, health, and environmental impact of mining and processing of minerals and materials.
- The collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about mining and processing of more than 100 mineral commodities across the Nation and in more than 185 countries around the world.
- Analysis of the impact of proposed mineral-related laws and regulations upon the national interest.
- Production, conservation, sale, and distribution of helium for essential government activities
The first director of the USBM was Joseph Austin Holmes, a pioneer in occupational safety and health. He served from 1910 until his death in 1915.[1]
From its creation, the USBM was viewed, both nationally and internationally, as the focal point for new and emerging science and technology in the minerals field. Since entering competition in 1978, the Bureau of Mines won 35 R&D 100 Awards, given annually by
Evolution of USBM
USBM originally provided safety and health inspection for mines on a nationwide basis, replacing some, but not all state inspection operations. This division comprised the majority of personnel in USBM. In 1973 the
Congress created the
Closure of USBM
- "We leave knowing that the proud accomplishments of this agency did make a difference in the quality of life we now enjoy, and they will continue to do so well into the 21st century." — USBM Director Rhea Graham
In September 1995,
The Bureau's Minerals Information functions were transferred to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in early 1996. The "Mineral Industry Surveys", "Mineral Commodity Summaries", and the "Minerals Yearbook" continued to be published. The Bureau's technical reports are archived by the Technical Report Archive & Image Library.[6]
The Health and Safety Research Program at the
Proposed re-establishment
On May 28, 2010,
Directors
The Bureau had 19 permanent directors from its inception in 1910 to its abolishment in 1996.[8]
No. | Image | Name | Took office | Left office | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Joseph Austin Holmes | 1910 | 1915 | ||
2 | Van H. Manning | 1915 | 1920 | ||
3 | Frederick Gardner Cottrell | 1920 | 1920 | ||
4 | H. Foster Bain | 1921 | 1925 | ||
5 | Scott Turner | 1925 | 1934 | ||
6 | John W. Finch | 1934 | 1940 | ||
7 | Royd R. Sayers | 1940 | 1947 | ||
8 | James Boyd | 1947 | 1951 | ||
9 | John J. Forbes | 1951 | 1955 | ||
10 | Marling J. Ankeny | 1956 | 1964 | ||
11 | Walter R. Hibbard Jr. | 1964 | 1968 | ||
12 | John F. O'Leary | 1968 | 1970 | ||
13 | Elburt F. Osborn | 1970 | 1973 | ||
14 | Thomas V. Falkie | 1974 | 1977 | ||
15 | Roger A. Markle | 1978 | 1979 | ||
16 | Lindsay D. Norman | 1980 | 1981 | ||
17 | Robert C. Horton | 1981 | 1987 | ||
18 | T. S. Ary | 1988 | 1993 | ||
— | Herman Enzer
Acting |
1993 | 1994 | [9] | |
19 | Rhea L. Graham | 1994 | 1996 |
List of accomplishments
Since its founding, the numerous accomplishments of the Bureau of Mines have included the identification and development of many new processes, including:
- Technologies that contributed to reduction of fatalities in mine disasters by 97 percent, from 3,000 in 1907 to 98 in 1993.[10]
- Self-rescue equipment to allow miners to continue to breathe when caught in underground disasters.[10]
- Low-cost methods to extract radium for cancer treatment.[10]
- Production processes for
- Techniques to recover strategic and critical minerals, such as cobalt and chromium, to reduce U.S. vulnerability to import blockages in international crises, especially during the Cold War.[10]
- Construction of manmade wetlands to limit pollution of waterways by acid mine drainage from nearby mining and mineral-processing operations.[10]
- Methods to minimize damage from subsidence, the sinking of the surface of the earth above underground mines.[10]
- Improved recycling of metals, plastic and paper from municipal wastes, including a technology, now used around the world, to recycle municipal solid waste.[10]
- Non-intrusive ways to recover minerals without disturbing the surface of the land.[10]
- Use of bacteria to remove arsenic and cyanide from waste waters on public and private lands.[10]
- Uncovering the world's largest deposits of lead and zinc at Alaska's Red Dog Creek, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in capital investments for mine development.[10]
- Karrick process (See Synthetic Liquid Fuels Program)[10]
See also
- Critical mineral raw materials
- Mining in the United States
References
This article incorporates
- ^ Tuchman, R.; Brinkley (January 1990). "A History of the Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center". www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2018-11-09.
- ^ a b "History of Mine Safety and Health Legislation". Arlington, VA: U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. Retrieved 2017-08-24.
- Pub. L.95–164, approved November 9, 1977.
- Pub. L.95–87, approved August 3, 1977.
- Pub. L.95–91, approved August 4, 1977.
- ^ "TRAIL - Bureau of Mines reports". Technical Report Archive & Image Library.
- ^ Rivard, Ry (May 31, 2010). "Massey CEO urges caution". Charleston Daily Mail. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
- ^ Breslin, John A. (February 2010). "One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research" (PDF). United States Department of Health and Human Services. p. 84. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ Breslin, John A. (February 2010). "One Hundred Years of Federal Mining Safety and Health Research" (PDF). United States Department of Health and Human Services. p. 59. Retrieved 2021-10-29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l U.S. Department of the Interior, Annual Report, Fiscal Year 1995 (PDF). U.S. Department of the Interior. 1996. pp. 50–51. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2004-11-09.
- Powell, Fred Wilbur (1922). The Bureau of Mines: Its History, Activities And Organization. New York: D. Appleton And Company. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
- "Bureau of Mines". Department of Interior 1995 Annual Report. Archived from the original on December 25, 2004. Retrieved April 7, 2005.
- "Records of the U.S. Bureau of Mines". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved April 7, 2005.
- "United States Bureau of Mines Collection". National Mine Health and Safety Academy. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- "The History of the National Mine Map Repository". Retrieved February 12, 2009.
External links
- NIOSH's Office of Mining and Construction Safety and Health Research
- Minerals Yearbook full text (University of Wisconsin Digital Collections)
- Historic technical reports from the Bureau of Mines at the Technical Report Archive and Image Library (TRAIL)