USGS Report: Value of U.S. minerals mining increased 12 percent in 2011

The value of raw, nonfuel minerals mined in the United States last year was $74 billion, up from $66 billion in 2010, according to the Mineral Commodity Summaries 2012, an annual report compiled by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The report also notes that despite 10 states (including Arizona) each mining more than $2 billion worth of nonfuel mineral commodities last year, United States dependence on foreign sources for minerals continued to increase, sustaining a worrying 30-year trend.

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