Issues with the Government

Mining engineers plan and monitor many things within a mine. One of the biggest things they do is make sure government regulations are followed. This can be one the toughest jobs because there are so many. According to Kentucky Educational Television or KET for short, “As long as 10 years can elapse between the start of planning a mine and mining the first ton of coal.” This is an example of the amount of rules and regulations that the mining industry must follow.  This is just for the permitting process. There are numerous regulations that are in place when extraction of the coal or ore is taking place. As is talked about earlier, ventilation is a key area. There must be a certain level of fresh air available in a mine. Also dust control is a major problem. During the extraction of the ore from the ground, dust is created from the breaking of the ground. There are regulations of the level of respirable dust that can be present. Respirable dust is the dust that is small enough in partial size to be inhaled. There are also regulations in place for water runoff on the mine. This is some of the more general regulations that mining engineers have to deal with.