Engaging with urban neighbours
For over 100 years, Kennecott Utah Copper has been mining in Bingham Canyon, Utah, in the United States of America. Its once remote location in the Oquirrh Mountains, on the western boundary of Salt Lake County, has changed greatly over the decades and now the massive Bingham Canyon Mine sits in close proximity to the neighbouring communities of Copperton, West Jordan, Herriman and Magna. The mine is about 25 miles southwest of Salt Lake City and is located entirely within Salt Lake County, with a population of about 1,000,000 residents.
Kennecott Utah Copper has developed a network of community relations contacts, to ensure the company understands local concerns and priorities. Management works with a broad based group of businesses, trade, civic, community, environmental and educational organisations. The key to its past success has been regular and constant “grassroots” contact. This includes management attending monthly and quarterly meetings with local community councils. It also involves co-ordinating tours of Kennecott Utah Copper’s facilities, industrial plants, land and water reclamation projects for government officials, community councils, business associations, regulatory agencies, environmental groups, schools groups and the media.
Kennecott Utah Copper has sought active engagement with external stakeholders, as part of its Sustainable Development planning. This is consistent with Rio Tinto’s Sustainable Development goals for 2005. Personnel from Government and Public Affairs, Sustainable Development and Kennecott’s President and Chief Executive Officer hosted a focus group of community stakeholders as part of Kennecott’s business plan. The group was comprised of internal and external stakeholders including representatives from federal, state and local governments, environmental and community groups, employees, suppliers, business groups and academia. A workshop was held to ask stakeholders their opinions about Kennecott’s Annual Social and Environmental Report, community engagement and environmental performance and to seek their feedback and discuss issues of common interest and concern. These stakeholders also reviewed the draft presentation of “Kennecott’s Future”. Their comments were incorporated into the presentation, which continue to be presented to numerous stakeholder groups in Salt Lake County.
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