More than a century of hard-rock mining in Bingham Canyon, Utah, has made Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation’s cleanup task an ongoing process. It’s a responsibility that has been built into Kennecott’s mission plan as the company works to meet society’s demand for metals in an environmentally responsible manner. An interesting fact is that there are only two man-made objects visible from outer space: the Great Wall of China, and the Bingham Canyon Mine. The mine is more than 2-1/2 miles across at the top and more than a half-mile deep, and is one of the engineering wonders of the world.

The open pit mining methods invented at the turn of the century, such as loading and hauling, are still used today. The equipment, however, has grown in size and complexity with advances in technology. Today, the monstrous haulage trucks can carry 240 tons per load. The mine’s electric shovels have 56-cubic-yard dippers that can scoop up to 98 tons of material in a single bite. Computer models help with mine planning, and sophisticated communications systems monitor all truck, shovel and rail movements.

During the 1990s, Kennecott invested $1 billion in the world’s cleanest smelter, one that dramatically reduced both sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions. At the same time, the company spent $500 million to expand and modernize its tailings impoundment and more than $300 million on environmental remediation projects.