Remote mining may be useful if somehow you have low values in your resource characteristics, as remote mining does not use these at all. (So remote nining works as well for an Empire with 25% mineral production and than for one with 150%)
Likewise, remote mining is not taken into account in trade agreements, so an Empire doing exclusively remote mining would only give 40 resources for a 20% trade alliance. (Every Empire has a "standard" resource production of 200, as long as no facility produces this resource.) So remote mining may help you if you do not want to give anything to your allies, while profiting of their own production. Granted, they might be reluctant to keep such a treaty with you, unless you do have a very good argument at your disposal.
[ April 18, 2004, 10:54: Message edited by: Alneyan ]