Environment

Freeport-McMoRan’s Environmental Reclamation Programs

Sep 30, 2014 7:05 AM ET
Campaign: Freeport-McMoRan: Annual Report on Sustainability
The Maurujaya MP21 Reclamation and Biodiversity Research Center is a tailings reclamation research facility where PT Freeport Indonesia conducts comprehensive scientific studies to determine optimum plant species and planting techniques to maximize reclamation success. The center also functions as an educational study and observation area for agriculture, fishery and forestry, as well as biodiversity within the PT Freeport Indonesia project area.

The natural resources that Freeport-McMoRan produces are essential to the world's economies. As population growth and urbanization continue to accelerate, Freeport-McMoRan’s products are critical to a rising standard of living on a global scale. The foundation of Freeport-McMoRan’s plans for production growth and resource expansions includes their commitment to join with stakeholders in working toward sustainable development.

Mine reclamation is the process of taking land once used by the operation and converting it into alternate land uses. Reclamation takes into account surface and ground water and air quality, erosion concerns from storm water, revegetation of suitable plant species and rehabilitation of wildlife habitats. Alternate land uses in mine reclamation include open space, wildlife habitat, grazing habitat, recreation and educational areas, renewable energy sites, industrial land and other economically or ecologically productive land uses.

  • Large-scale reclamation projects continued during 2013 at Freeport-McMoRan’s Miami mine in Arizona, where more than 1,000 acres are being reclaimed.
  • At the historic Bisbee mining district in Arizona, reclamation crews and environmental experts continue work on major voluntary reclamation projects encompassing approximately 1,100 acres, including stockpiles and tailings impoundments.
  • Freeport-McMoRan voluntarily initiated a project near our Climax molybdenum mine to remove and reclaim historic waste rock piles in the Tenmile Mining District near Leadville, Colorado. As of 2013, 41 historic mine sites have been cleaned-up and 37 have been completely reclaimed. Nearly 230,000 cubic yards of waste rock and soils were removed and 50 acres of land restored.

For further information regarding mining reclamation in North America, please see Freeport-McMoRan’s brochure Supporting a Sustainable Future

For information about Freeport-McMoRan’s commitments to environmental reclamation, please see http://www.fcx.com/sd/env/reclam.htm

Please see the 2013 Working Toward Sustainable Development Report for more information on all of their social, economic and environmental efforts.