This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I have been asked many times if the Salt Lake Valley is experiencing improved air quality this summer because we are not operating. I'm glad people are asking this question because it demonstrates our citizens' concern for assuring our air quality continues to improve and provides me with an opportunity to clarify a few important points.
We resumed operations only 53 hours following the landslide that occurred on April 10 in the Bingham Canyon Mine. We have been moving record amounts of non-ore-bearing material in areas of the mine not impacted by the slide, and we resumed new ore delivery by April 27.
We have similar levels of mining activity this summer as we have had during the past three summers. Our power plant is running at a capacity consistent with the last three years, and our other downstream plants continue to operate. All of this activity is within our regulated permit limits.
Our annual impact on ozone, like winter emissions, is a small piece of the overall air-quality pie. I invite you to visit our website to learn more about Kennecott's contribution to improving our community's air quality.
Kelly PayneManager-environment Rio Tinto Kennecott
Alpine