Over half of the electricity generated in the country comes from coal. Sand, gravel, limestone, and other rock products are major resources in the construction industry.
Salt is used to keep wintry roads free of ice.
Gold, silver, iron, copper, and many other minerals are essential to our national prosperity. In the United States, there are over 500,000 abandoned mine sites and nearly 14,000 active mines. A young boy who was electrocuted after contacting a high power line while sliding down a stockpile at a sand and gravel mine in Grand Island, Nebraska, during its off-shift hours. All three died after being buried by dirt and boulders. Two men who decided to explore a closed mine in Virginia City, Nevada, died of carbon dioxide poisoning within 75 feet of the entrance.