15 May 2008
Rio Tinto's Kennecott Utah Copper Donates $15 Million to the Utah Museum of Natural History in Salt Lake City
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
Community partnership supports sustainable development and natural sciences
Kennecott Utah Copper today announced a $15 million donation to support the new Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH) at the University of Utah. When the Museum building opens in 2011 in The University's Research Park, it will be named The Rio Tinto Center. Rio Tinto is the parent company to Utah companies Kennecott Utah Copper, Kennecott Land Company and Kennecott Exploration. The donation continues Kennecott's 30 year support of the Museum and represents the largest single corporate donation in the University's history.
The donation includes copper mined from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon Mine. The Rio Tinto Center will be built to LEED building standards and adorned with about 42,000 feet of copper on the building's exterior. Inside the building, sustainable development activities will educate people about Utah's rich mining and natural history. As the museum's founding sustainability partner, Rio Tinto and Kennecott will collaborate with the UMNH to create the sustainability trailhead that will guide visitors through the museum's galleries.
"It is a rare opportunity to find community partnerships where two groups can proudly support the same causes. In this case, it's the support of sustainable development principles, the importance of mining and an interest in the natural sciences," said Andrew Harding, Kennecott Utah Copper President/CEO. "Through this partnership, we will continue to introduce youth to careers in the natural sciences. We also hope to expose people to mining and show them how it is important to modern life." The Museum takes an active role in paring students and volunteers with working scientists in all fields.
The UMNH is an active research institution that cares for over 1.2 million objects. The Museum provides unique natural history experiences to Utah residents, including kids and tourists through traveling and permanent exhibits, special events and other programs like summer and discovery camps. The Museum also offers a variety of outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every district in the state.
"The support Kennecott and Rio Tinto have provided to the U over the years is legendary. This latest gift is truly remarkable because of the scope of its impact. Not only will it help the Utah Museum of Natural History build its beautiful new facility, but it will benefit all Utahns by supporting the museum's educational mission throughout the State," Michael K. Young, President, University of Utah. "We are, as always, extraordinarily grateful for their ongoing generosity and support."
About Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto is a leading international mining group headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Rio Tinto's business is finding, mining, and processing mineral resources. Major products are aluminium, copper, diamonds, energy (coal and uranium), gold, industrial minerals (borax, titanium dioxide, salt, talc) and iron ore. Activities span the world but are strongly represented in Australia and North America with significant businesses in South America, Asia, Europe and southern Africa.
About Kennecott Utah Copper
As the second largest copper producer in the United States, Kennecott Utah Copper provides about 13 percent of this country's copper needs. Kennecott Bingham Canyon Mine is the largest man-made excavation in the world. It has produced more copper ore, 18.1 million tons, than any mine in the world. Every year, Kennecott produces approximately 300,000 tons of copper, along with 500,000 ounces of gold, 4 million ounces of silver, about 30 million pounds of molybdenum, and about 1 million tons of sulfuric acid, a by-product of the smelting process. Rio Tinto purchased Kennecott Utah Copper in 1989 and has invested about $2 billion in the modernization of KUC's operations. KUCC has also spent more than $350 million on the cleanup of historic mining waste and $100 million on groundwater cleanup. KUC employs 1,800 people and hundreds of contractors. http://www.kennecott.com/
About the Utah Museum of Natural History
The Utah Museum of Natural History, an active research institution located at the University of Utah, is the state's natural history museum and cares for over 1.2 million objects. The Museum provides unique natural history experiences to Utah residents, including kids, and tourists through traveling and permanent exhibits, special events and other programs like summer and discovery camps. In addition, The Museum offers a variety of outreach programs to communities and schools throughout Utah, reaching every district in the state during the year. These programs include Museum on the Move, Scientist in the Classroom, Youth Teaching Youth, and traveling exhibits.
For further information please contact:
Jana Kettering
Senior Advisor Media, Kennecott Utah Copper
Office: (801) 685 4539
Cell: (801) 558 9371
Jana.kettering@riotinto.com
Patti Carpenter
Utah Museum of Natural History
University of Utah
Office: (801) 585 6369
pcarpenter@umhn.utah.edu