That’s great but I do not dismiss the environmental concerns. If the cost of not leaving behind a wasteland is built into the cost of the minerals then so be it.
The bulk of the poor environmental track record of mining industry is from a time before current technologies and regulations. Enforce the strict rules, use the latest technology and billions can be dumped into our economy safely. Every environmental issue is hyperbole and based on what might happened. Same excuses for not drilling in the Gulf or harvesting the vast oil reserves we have in shale. With the middle east exploding we can not afford being resource dependent.