CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS
CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS
The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA), in partnership with Trout Unlimited (TU); and the Sierra Fund presents the 6th Annual Symposium:
6th Annual Summit – Abandoned Mine Lands Update
July 24-25, 2024
This Symposium is the sixth in a series of public forums convened by MMSA and its growing coalition of partners to bring stakeholders with a vested interest in improving landscapes impacted by Abandoned Mine Lands together. Status updates of the ongoing Good Samaritan legislative and administrative efforts will be provided and opportunities for more collaboration will be discussed. Building on the lessons learned from previous Summits, delegates will continue to share their work experiences from the field and explore the best paths forward to ensure that legacy mine lands in the West are improved to the benefit of wildlife and communities.
The Symposium will occur on July 24, 2024. An optional field trip is being planned for July 25, 2024 and will have a separate sign-up. There is no charge to attend the symposium. The Tour will be in two parts:
Join a morning walking tour of a segment of the Deer Creek Tribute Trail in Nevada City. Nevada City has a long history of gold mining operations, with 16 major mines having operated in the area. After gold was discovered in Deer Creek, Nevada City rapidly became the largest and wealthiest mining town in California. Over twenty community entities (neighborhood associations/town/county/state/water agencies/nonprofits/land trusts/ and tribe) have built the Tribute Trail over a decade and led other revitalization of the area. Walk the trail and learn more about how the community, including the Nevada City Nisenan Rancheria and California Heritage Indigenous Research Project, have built the trail and bridges, done other land restoration, and learn of remaining challenges and dreams for the future.
For the afternoon, we will visit the abandoned Spenceville copper mine, located in western Nevada County California, within California Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Spenceville Wildlife Area. The mine reclamation was a unique and successful blending of multiple government and private-sector entities to eliminate a significant environmental and safety hazard while enhancing recreational opportunities of public lands.
Transportation and lunch will be provided for the tour. We will leave from the Gold Miner’s Inn at 8:00 a.m.
There is a block of rooms being held at the Gold Miner’s Inn. You can reserve by calling the hotel at 530-477-1700 ext. 1 and ask for the MMSA rate. This block will expire June 23.
ABANDONED MINE LANDS SYMPOSIUMS
In collaboration with Trout Unlimited, the Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Nevada Reno, MMSA has established an ongoing series of free public symposiums where industry, non-governmental organizations, universities, and regulators can explore solutions to improve landscapes impacted by abandoned mine lands (AML). This growing coalition is bound by a common vision to improve abandoned mines across the U.S. that will simultaneously benefit watersheds, wildlife, and communities.
Senate passes bipartisan Good Samaritan legislation, greenlighting cleanup of toxic abandoned mines
Long-debated mine pollution measure clears a full chamber of Congress for the first time
Washington, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 with unanimous consent, which would begin to address one of the most pervasive sources of water pollution across the West.
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2023 - Abandoned Mine Lands Update – 5th Annual Symposium
Copper King Lounge, Student Union Building – Montana Tech, Butte, MT | July 25-26.
This Summit is the fifth in a series of public forums convened by MMSA and its growing coalition of partners to bring stakeholders with a vested interest in improving landscapes impacted by Abandoned Mine Lands together. Status updates of the ongoing Good Samaritan legislative and administrative efforts will be provided and opportunities for more collaboration will be discussed. Building on the lessons learned from previous Summits, delegates will continue to share their work experiences from the field and explore the best paths forward to ensure that legacy mine lands in the West are improved to the benefit of wildlife and communities.
2022 - Improving Abandoned Mine Lands - Building Trust & Taking Action
April 6-7, 2022
This Summit is the fourth in a series of public forums convened by MMSA and its growing coalition of partners to bring stakeholders with a vested interest in improving landscapes impacted by Abandoned Mine Lands together.
2021 - Legacy Abandoned Mine Lands - Progress and Plans
April 19, 2021
The Webinar included panelists discussing these these topics:
- Perpetua Resources (formallyMidas Gold) providing a
summary of their recently negotiated process with EPA; - Trout Unlimited providing updates regarding 2020
progress, 2021 objectives; - The Nature Conservancyproviding discussions regarding identified Nevada Legacy sites for possible renewable energy deployments;
- Industry experts providing new Technology discussions
2020 - Abandoned Mine Lands Update
November 19, 2020
Tawny Bridgeford (National Mining Association) and Steve Moyer (Trout Unlimited) discussed legislative prospects post‐election, as well as how both groups worked together to find consensus on the pilot project program.
2019 - Advancing Abandoned Mine Land Cleanup...With or Without Good Samaritan Legislation
April 9, 2019
The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America has established a series of conferences in collaboration with the Colorado School of Mines and other organizations to address the issue of cleaning up Abandoned Mine Lands (AML).
2018 - Good Samaritan Protection to EnhanceAbandoned Mine Land Cleanup – Finding a Path Forward
The goal of the conference was to identify necessary liability protection from applicable environmental laws that advance closure and remediation of the identified pilot/demonstration projects.
The conference was held at the Colorado School of Mines in April 26, 2018. The conference was jointly sponsored by the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America, Colorado School of Mines, and Trout Unlimited.
Summaries of Presentations, Breakout Sessions
Speaker Powerpoints
- Laura Skaer – Cleaning up Abandoned Mines
- Jeff Graves – State Government Considerations for AML Cleanup
- Chris Wood – A Collaborative Approach to Mine Reclamation
- Carolyn McIntosh – Legal Hurdles for Abandoned Mine Cleanup
- Kathy Benedetto – BLM and Good Samaritan Liability Protections
- Jeff Parshley – Successful Reclamation and Closure to Guide Candidate Site Selection
Questionnaire Responses – Questionnaires were handed to conference participants and 18 were collected at the time. Later a request for answering the questions online was sent to all participants. Seventeen additional responses were received.
NOTE: The focus of the conference and the AML efforts is on orphaned and abandoned hard-rock mining conditions. Coal mine reclamation of AML is funded through a tax on each ton of coal mined. Work on abandoned hard rock mines has been done by volunteers and donations. A purpose of the conference is to identify ways to continue improvement of AML conditions on a broader scale with protection for those doing the work.
Other Links related to AML cleanup
Other Conferences
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2010 - Minerals For A Green Society
February 4, 2010 -- Washington DC
The symposium focuses on the need for and availability of minerals in the development of a 'green society,' whether it be by use of solar, wind, other types of renewable energy, and critical minerals needed for modern technology.