Executive Director’s Message By Ches Blevins – Constructing our Future
Happy Valentine’s Day…or month! My hope is that you, your families and workers are all safe and well!
Our THEME for this eNewsletter is “Constructing our Future.” I hope you’ve already read the piece provided by Steve Eckert, our Vice Chairman and Board Member representing Capitol Aggregates. It makes sense that a TMRA Aggregate Industry Member would be our lead for “Constructing our Future” as that industry certainly plays an indispensable part in construction of all types.
That said, our members whose business focus is on mining and utilizing Coal/Lignite, Uranium and Rare Earth Materials also play an important and vital role in constructing and maintaining our future. Coal/Lignite and Nuclear Power generation are and will remain a critical part of our power generation mix well into the future here in Texas and the United States. Moreover, they will/must play an important role worldwide if we are to minimize widespread energy poverty, which impacts health, education and living conditions for millions who, today, can’t count on any consistent/reliable, affordable source of electric power.
Beyond power generation, don’t forget that coal remains a critical component necessary for steel manufacturing and other industrial uses. Also, the mining and processing of Rare Earth materials HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, is critical, becoming more critical every day, for all areas of electronics and battery production and use in many of our essential materials. We can depend on China or we can depend on United States resources and ingenuity!
Our story is an important one and we should continue to loudly and proudly tell it WITH FACTS! Our Teacher Workshops and Outreach efforts are an important part of this consistent effort. We should never back away from ALL of the positives nor, for that matter, gloss over areas where we can always improve. That said, our industries are important and do a great job. Jobs, our economy, our environment and our WORLD are much, much better with and because of the work we do.
I’m ALWAYS proud to say I’m a member of TMRA and support the work of our Industry Members and Support Members! Stay safe and well and hope to see many of you, IN PERSON, very soon!
Ches Blevins,
TMRA Executive Director