The bad news about The Economics of Mineral Extraction (Praeger, 521 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017) is that it costs $28.95. The good news is that it is the definitive work in print on the methods by which petroleum, natural gas, and other nonrenewable resources are obtained from Mother Earth, the financial/technical constraints involved, and the impact on the process (largely negative) of official policies pursued in recent years.
The authors of the study—Gerhard Anders of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Representative W. Phillip Gramm, economists S. Charles Maurice and Charles W. Smithson of Texas A&M—are well versed in the economic aspects of the subject, and provide a great deal of technical and mathematical information that will be of interest to specialists in the field. However, they also translate their findings into everyday English, so that their specialized researches and conclusions are fully accessible to the unwashed masses.
Comments