AP reported that Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation is proposing an expansion of its Bingham Canyon mine that would extend its life to 2034.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the company is asking regulators to allow it to excavate about 1,000 feet from the south wall and deepen the massive mine by another 300 feet to reach 700 million more tonnes of copper ore.

Mr Kelly Sanders CEO of Kennecott said that "Kennecott has a great history in Utah and this mine expansion offers an opportunity for us to continue producing about a quarter of the country's copper for years to come."

He said that the expansion, called the Cornerstone Project would keep 2,000 jobs and prevent a five-year shutdown beginning in 2016. The open pit mine is about 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. It began operations in 1906 and has reduced an 8,000 foot mountain to a giant hole 2 1 or 2 miles wide.

Kennecott's work force in Utah might even expand as the company ramps up its fleet of ore hauling trucks and adds an in pit crusher and supporting equipment at its huge concentrator, which separates the copper and other valuable minerals from rock.

Removing the waste rock covering the ore will take seven years, but before that, it could take two years to evaluate the project and get approval from the board of directors of Kennecott's parent company, Rio Tinto.

Mr Doug Bacon project manager in the department's Division of Environmental Response and Remediation said that Kennecott officials already have briefed the state Department of Environmental Quality about their intentions. Each permit adjustment will require public hearings.

Mr Bacon said that based on my discussions with them, they're planning to actively engage the public outside of the standard permitting process. They plan to go out and talk to communities, the neighborhoods and pull together stakeholder interest groups.

(Sourced from Associated Press)