ISO 14000: Impact on mining and reclamation
- Lloyd, Gosselink, Fowler, Blevins & Mathews, Austin, TX (United States)
- North American Coal Corp., Dallas, TX (United States)
Environmental regulation and compliance in the mining and reclamation industry is in a position to take advantage of the ISO 14000 standards being developed by the International Organization for Standardization. The purpose of this paper is to provide environmental managers in the mining and reclamation industry with a basic understanding of the ISO 14000 environmental standards which have traditionally been implemented by conventional manufacturing industries. The paper covers the history of the ISO, its acceptance by industry generally, the ISO 14000 standards being utilized currently and those which are proposed for the future, the benefits associated with implementation and compliance with the standards, and a discussion of ISO 14000 standards` applicability in the mining and reclamation industry. There are seven areas which constitute the ISO 14000 set of standards: (1) Environmental Management Systems; (2) Environmental Auditing; (3) Environmental Labeling; (4) Environmental Performance Evaluation; (5) Life Cycle Assessment; (6) Terms and Definitions; and (7) Environmental Aspects in Product Standards. A commitment to regulatory compliance and sound environmental practices along with ISO certification can potentially provide greater access to capital because lenders will view an environmentally healthy organization as a better risk, it can provide defenses against products liability or personal injury lawsuits, and protect against criminal liability. Implementation of ISO standards can help avoid risks associated with business practices, ensure early detection of potential regulatory violations, and hence ensure company profitability by avoiding discovery of a violation by state and/or federal agencies. It can demonstrate a sincere commitment to regulatory compliance which may in turn provide reduced oversight by state and federal regulatory agencies.
- OSTI ID:
- 613875
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9705128--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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