CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS
CONFERENCES & SYMPOSIUMS
The Mining and Metallurgical Society of America (MMSA), in partnership with Trout Unlimited (TU) present the 7th Annual Symposium:
“Realizing Hardrock Good Samaritan Success”
July 15-16, 2025
Colorado Mountain College
Leadville, Colorado
This Symposium is the seventh 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 15, 2025, the tour is on July 16, 2025 There is no charge to attend the symposium, there will be a separate registration for the tour.
Transportation and lunch will be provided for the tour. There will be a charge to cover transportation
There are hotels, AirBnB and camping options in Leadville. We do not have a block of rooms, but there is some availability of dorm rooms at Colorado Mountain College for $100/night. To reserve, you must contact Brooke Larson, balarson@coloradomtn.edu. Please be sure you reference the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America meeting.
Symposium Registration | Tour Registration | Symposium Agenda
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.