3. United States are not strong for many reasons. The geological prospects are less attractive because the country has been relatively fully explored and the easy-to-find deposits have been found. Compared to under-developed foreign areas, the geological odds are less promising, the exploration costs more expensive, and the probable unit production costs from new deposits likely to be high. The tax structure of the mining industry is constantly under attack with depletion described as a "loophole" rather than recognized as a proper allowance for a wasting asset. And now the attacks from the environmentalists really discourage further U. S. exploration and discovery, delay bringing known deposits into production, and help raise the U. S. production costs levels above those of international competition. There is the question of how many McCloskeys are too many McCloskeys and the answer from my standpoint is there are at least two too many McCloskeys - Mike, the executive director of the Sierra Club, and Pete, my personal representative who now returns to the Halls of Congress after 100 days in New Hampshir These men are indicative of the immediate problem caused by the "conservationist with immense political power who advocates ill-conceived solutions which are not in the long-run national interest and which influence the responsive politician who would rather be popular than right. If this unholy combination prevails, the mineral laws will be revised in ways that will needlessly withdraw large areas from potential mining, prevent the development of new mines, ban the surface mining that produces 43% of our coal and 90% of our other hard-rock minerals, cause power shortages, and otherwise disrupt the economic process. But even if the extreme environmentalists are cut back to size and