— In the Eastern United States, most mineral rights are privately held, including 

 many underlying acquired public lands. In the Western United States, many 

 mineral claims have been patented, thus transferring both the minerals and the 

 land to private ownership. As a result, most mineral production is private even 

 though the mineral location previously may have been or may still be part of the 

 public estate. 



— Per capita consumption of many metallic minerals is expected to decline or 

 remain constant; however, increasing population is expected to lead to net 

 increases in demand for most minerals by 2040. Consumption of agricultural 

 minerals is expected to remain at or near current levels. Consumption of sand, 

 gravel, and crushed stone will follow trends in population and economic growth. 



— Domestic reserves of metallic minerals such as copper, lead, and zinc are being 

 depleted. These will need to be replaced through exploration and developmental 

 drilling if current production levels are to be maintained. 



Production of gold has increased significantly since 1989, due largely to technological 

 advances facilitating production from disseminated lode deposits. The United States is 

 currently the second largest gold producer in the world. Much of this production has 

 come from public lands in the Western United States. Exploration and development 

 activities are expected to continue as reserves at current operations are depleted. 



The United States depends on imports for 80 percent of the chromium and 88 percent 

 of the platinum used annually. No chromium is produced domestically; platinum group 

 metals are produced at only one mine. World resources are large, but short-term 

 disruptions in supply are possible in the major producing countries of South Africa and 

 the former U.S.S.R. This could lead to more demand for domestic exploration, devel- 

 opment, and production of these metals. 



— Although there are vast reserves of sand, gravel, and crushed stone, high- 

 quality deposits located near urban areas are being depleted or may be 

 unavailable. This is shifting demand to more remotely located resources. In 

 addition, a national program of infrastructure development may lead to increased 

 interest in these resources on public lands. 



— Environmental regulations in the United States are among the strictest in the 

 world. The costs of compliance with general environmental laws, plus those 

 directed specifically at energy and mineral production activities, have made 

 some previously economic mineral deposits and wells unprofitable to operate. 

 The ultimate result may be increased reliance on imported resources. 



— Overall, energy and mineral industry contribution to the Gross National Product 

 was 3.08 percent in 1989, but in some areas of the country represented a large 

 percentage of Gross State Product (e.g., 22 percent in West Virginia, 23 percent 

 in Louisiana, 11.5 percent in Montana, 19 percent in New Mexico, 36 percent in 

 Wyoming, and 50 percent in Alaska). Production activities are usually located in 

 rural areas, where they are important sources of jobs and income. 



63 



