Vail, Colorado was once a mining town. Now it is a Disney horror of fake Alpine buildings clinging to an image that is rooted in conspicuous consumption. To survive the off-season, all food prices are half-price.
The conference on tailings and mine waste is just ended and we have left this ski resort, newly informed on the state-of-the-art and practice of tailings management in mines world-wide. Here are some reflections on the state-of-things:
There are new names in the game: AMEC dominates oil sands and dry stack filter-pressed tailings. Ausenco has gobbled up the consultants of old. SRK is merely recruiting (ineptly) and not leading the pack. Knight Piesold is resting on old glory and nowhere near the podium telling of new projets.
Upstream construction of slimes dams is derided as unsafe and filter pressing is praised as the only safe way to go. Water balance is the idea de jour, and minimization of water use is the only design objective. Thankfully we did not have to listen to out-of-date Australian academics talk of thickened tailings.
Why tailings dams fail is a top topic. MSHA is trying to figure this out so that the USA is spared future failures: look north young man and do what Alberta does (see posting below.) The EPA is rushing to change things before the Democrats loose and Republican win the elections and pollution is once again allowed—if you have money to spend, lobbeyists on your side, law suites, and tea parties.
The final presentation today was on clean-up of an old mining district in the southeast Spain where they have mined for 2,500 years. This reminds us of how young we are and how far we have to go. The area will become a museum replete with orange pools of contamination becoming part of a tourist attraction.
The conference reminds us of the ongoing debates. Why NGOs succeed in attacking mining—the answer is that we are timid and fail to tell the truth. Why do failures occur—the answer is that we refuse to do it properly. What are the impacts of tailings disposal—the answer is that we are hobbled by too short a time perspective. Where are the respected consultants of old—the answer is that they have sold out to the stock market and retired to drive their SUVS (Tetra-Tech now owns EBA and Vector and the proud engineers of old are cowed, timorous, and time-sheet dominated.)
On the basis of presentations, I believe the following: the Rosemont Copper mine in Tucson should go ahead; wick drains are indispensable; the CPT with ConeTech is invaluable in establishing tailings properties; and academics are useless as they are out of touch, unimaginative, and too interested in relationships and funding to advance technologies.
Finally, the conference proved that it all depends on individuals: people of imagination, initiative, originality, drive, intellect, and able to overcome the unending challenges of mine waste management. We look forward to next year’s conference.
Jack:
Am writing this anonymously only because I think you need to remove your posting and rethink your cynicism. As one of those “SUV Driving” consultants you so deride, I cannot fathom anyone coming away from the conference with the same impression you did. I spent the entire confererence feeling quite the opposite and other than some bizarre nostalgic piece you presented telling us all that we are doing things worse than you and your peers did in South Africa 20 plus years ago, the bulk of the materials were salient, accurate and far from critical of academia let alone modern mining.
Take a break from the game mate, you are clearly taking a personal issue of some nature and making a statement on behalf of an industry that is out of step with your agenda.
Sincerely,
Everyone else at the conference
Thanks for the comment. Congratulations on selling your company to a large international conglomerate so that you can drive the SUV. My sadness if for the people you did not sell the company to, the people who worked to help you develop the company, and who are now factotums of a large conglomerate.
I am sad that my piece came off as a statement that South Africa did things better than now. My paper on the oil sand work we are doing currently should quickly dispel that notion–please read it. History is simply history: stories of the past we can enjoy. I personally do not believe we can or do learn from history.
I have no agenda–or at least none that I am aware of. I enjoy life to the full, including writing this blog. That does nto mean that I have to admire every human folly or overlook every mistake. Never forget that a free press is the only way to individual liberty.